By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX –
A man who fired several shots outside the Texas Capitol was trying to reload his weapon when police confronted him and tackled him to the ground, according to court records. Fausto Cardenas remains in Travis County's jail Friday on a felony charge of deadly conduct. Bond is set at $250,000. An arrest affidavit filed Friday describes Thursday's shooting incident on the south steps of the Capitol.
State Trooper Husain Roussel says he spotted Cardenas outside the Capitol after hearing shots ring out. He says he saw Cardenas "reloading a magazine" and noticed a pistol in his waistband and empty shell casings where Cardenas was standing.
State troopers tackled the 24-year-old suspect and arrested him. No one was injured in the shooting, which briefly shut down the Capitol.
Southwest suspends Albuquerque flights
Southwest Airlines has resumed service at Albuquerque's international airport after a five-hour suspension grounded 14 flights. Southwest officials cited concerns about weather, but no other airlines stopped operations.
Southwest spokesman Paul Flaningan says snowy weather at the airport and high winds across the region prompted the airline to suspend Albuquerque operations at 11 a.m. MST. He says flights resumed at 4 p.m. MST, as the airline had anticipated.
Airport spokesman Daniel Jiron says none of the other eight carriers serving Albuquerque experienced weather delays. He says there was light snow on the ground Friday morning but the airport remained fully operational.
Dallas-based Southwest operates 51 daily flights to and from Albuquerque.
Lottery consultant had roles with state, vendor
A company that helped Texas write bidding rules for its upcoming lottery operator contract was also getting paid by GTECH Corp. - the current lottery vendor that intends to compete again for the state's business.
The dual roles of consultant Gartner Inc. is raising questions about whether GTECH has a competitive advantage in bidding.
GTECH and Gartner say there was no malfeasance. They say Gartner's contract with GTECH was halted after the issue came to light. The Texas Lottery Commission says Gartner alerted it to the problem Dec. 30, and its contract with Gartner was canceled.
Lottery officials say they don't believe the bidding process is tainted. But lottery spokesman Bobby Heith said Friday the commission is still reviewing the GTECH-Gartner matter.
Buckner Intl. board in Texas names new president
Albert Reyes is Buckner International's new president.
The Dallas-based social service agency's board of trustees elected him unanimously Friday.
As president, Reyes manages the organization's nearly $100 million annual budget and oversees more than 1,300 employees worldwide.
Buckner, which has ties to the Baptist General Convention of Texas, provides adoption and foster care, operates group homes, residential homes, community centers and retirement homes in Texas and internationally.
Reyes is the first non-Anglo president in Buckner's 131-year history. A former university president and pastor, Reyes had been leading Buckner's children's division since 2007.
He succeeds Ken Hall, who will remain with Buckner as CEO focused on fundraising.