By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX –
The Fort Worth mayor says his recent apology wasn't for a law enforcement raid of a gay bar -- but for the man who was seriously injured. Mayor Mike Moncrief made an impromptu apology during Tuesday night's City Council meeting in which last month's Rainbow Lounge raid was discussed.
After someone in the audience asked for an apology, Moncrief said, "I am sorry for what happened in Fort Worth." Then the audience stood and erupted in applause. City spokesman Bill Begley said Wednesday that the mayor and City Council are always sorry if anyone gets hurt in the city.
Begley says Moncrief has asked federal prosecutors to review the police investigation of the joint raid by Fort Worth police and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Judge: Irving Violated Voting Rights Act
A federal judge has found a Dallas suburb violated the Voting Rights Act by diminishing the voting power of a growing minority population with its city election system.
The ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Court Judge Jorge A. Solis prevents the city of Irving from using the at-large system. The voting rights lawsuit against Irving alleged the at-large election system kept Hispanics from being represented in local government. It was filed in November 2007 on behalf of Manuel Benavidez, an Irving resident who has twice run unsuccessfully for the school board.
Irving has been the site of protests in recent years. Latino advocates accuse police officers of racial profiling with the intention of arresting suspected illegal immigrants to be deported.
Texas Drought Worsens
Ovenlike heat continues to bake Texas, and the map that charts drought in the United States shows the worst-stricken areas of Texas have wilted further.
The U.S. Drought Monitor map released last Thursday shows areas of Central and South Texas in extreme and exceptional drought expanded in the past week. The two worst stages of drought now cover 14.1 percent of the state, up from 11.1 last week.
Texas is the only spot in the nation with extreme and exceptional drought.
Parts of the state, though, are getting some rain. The map shows no drought in nearly 38 percent of Texas - the Trans Pecos region and parts of the High Plains in West Texas.
Slight chances for rain are possible in the Panhandle and along the Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Electricity Discounts
Texas utility regulators are calling attention to special electric rate discount programs as demand peaks during the long, hot summer. The Public Utility Commission of Texas reminds consumers that electric power retailers are offering prices of less than a dime per kilowatt hour.
PUC officials also say discounts for low-income electricity users are being increased through Aug. 1 to about three cents per kilowatt hour. A PUC statement issued Wednesday says that means a rate cut of 17 to 30 percent.
Consumers can get immediate pricing information by phone at 866-797-4839 or on the Internet at www.powertochoose.org. LITE-UP Texas Program applications for low-income consumers are available at 866-454-8387 or 877-399-8939.