By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX –
School districts across Texas are pondering whether they'll have their students watch a national address by President Barack Obama next week.
The speech on the importance of education is aimed directly at the nation's school children at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
In the Wylie school district in suburban Dallas, spokeswoman Susan Dacus says officials are leaving the decision to individual teachers. She says parents who don't want their children to see it can opt out. In Houston, each school will decide.
In a letter last week to the nation's school principal, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the speech would challenge students to work hard, set educational goals and take responsibility for their learning.
The speech will be streamed live on the White House Web site.
Dallas man gets 40 months in tax fraud case
An investment adviser convicted in a tax fraud case in which he claimed to be a "child of God" with citizenship in heaven, not the U.S., is going to prison.
A federal judge in Dallas on Wednesday sentenced Lanas Evans Troxler of Dallas to 40 months in prison. Troxler must surrender by Sept. 30. A jury in April 2008 convicted Troxler, formerly of Lubbock, on 17 counts related to sham offshore entities.
Prosecutors say Troxler did business in Dallas from 1998 through 2002.
Troxler was convicted of corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede administration of IRS laws, four counts of attempting to evade and defeat taxes and 12 counts of assisting in the preparation and presentation of false and fraudulent tax returns. Troxler also must pay a $10,000 fine.
4 detained after Dallas standoff
Dallas police detained four suspects after a standoff at a house ended peacefully following a string of armed robberies.
Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse says the standoff ended late Wednesday morning when three men and a woman surrendered. Police earlier Wednesday responded to reports of several people being robbed, including some juveniles, in southwest Dallas.
A description of a vehicle possibly used in the holdups led police to a house in the southern part of Dallas. Police say no shots were fired during the standoff.
NASA analyzing junk that could threaten astronauts
NASA is keeping tabs on a piece of space junk that could threaten the shuttle-station complex and its 13 astronauts.
Mission Control said Wednesday there is a chance, however unlikely, that part of an old rocket could come too close or even hit the linked space shuttle and space station if their path is not altered. Right now, the debris is expected to pass within seven miles of the outpost on Friday.
Mission Control says there is "only a remote possibility" the shuttle-station complex will need to steer clear of the junk. But if controllers determine the outpost needs to be moved into a lower orbit, that would delay the second spacewalk of the mission by one day. A higher move would keep the spacewalk on track for Thursday evening.
Auditor: Mexican truck safety rules still unmet
A government auditor says more work is needed to ensure the safety of Mexican trucks and buses awaiting permission to drive on U.S. roadways.
The Transportation Department's inspector general made public its latest report on Mexican truck and bus safety Wednesday. The audit says some states are not consistently reporting traffic convictions of people driving in the U.S. with Mexican drivers' licenses. Also, bus inspections are not being done, are done infrequently or have other problems.
The report says officials have made headway on other safety measures.
The North American Free Trade Agreement granted Mexican trucks and buses access to American roadways. Congress has refused to comply because of safety and job loss concerns.