By KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – Texas has applied for $830 million in federal education dollars intended to help schools through the recession.
The Texas Education Agency submitted the application a day after Gov. Rick Perry sent a letter to school administrators saying restrictions placed on Texas in the federal law "make it unlikely for your school to receive these federal funds this year."
But Perry said he would continue to explore avenues to procure the funds for Texas schools.
A state-specific provision requires Perry to promise Washington that Texas will maintain certain state education spending levels through 2013. Perry has said the requirement is unconstitutional because the Texas Constitution prohibits him from committing future state spending.
State moves ahead with bus seat belt plan
State officials say they're moving forward with a plan to equip new school buses with seat belts.
The Texas Education Agency said Friday it's implementing the program now that the legislative budget board has spelled out how to distribute the money.
A high priority will be given to vehicles that gain the biggest safety benefit from seat belts, such as small buses and motor coaches. There's also a priority for buses in counties with a high number of serious crashes, along with other factors.
The law applies to buses purchased as of Sept. 1.
Lawmakers allotted $10 million. Because of budget cuts TEA says only $3.6 million is available. TEA spokeswoman Debbie Graves Ratcliffe says if demand exceeds that, the agency will find money elsewhere in its budget.
Texas opens inquiry into Google search results
Google says Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is investigating whether its Web search rankings are fair.
Google Inc. is facing increased scrutiny in Washington and Europe. Regulators and competitors fear that it has too much control over where people go online and how much advertisers pay to reach them.
Google says its goal is to dig up the best results for users, not cater to website operators. The company notes that because not every website can be on top, "it's unsurprising that some less relevant, lower quality websites will be unhappy with their ranking."
A spokesman for Abbott confirmed the inquiry but had no further comment.
FW Police Arrest Fifth Man In Convenience Store Killings
A fifth man is under arrest for the murders of a convenience store clerk and a Mrs. Baird's delivery truck driver in Fort Worth last March.
The Fort Worth Star Telegram reports 22 year old Timothy Thomas was arrested yesterday at an apartment complex on Las Vegas Trail.
Four other men were indicted in June on two capital murder charges. Police say three of the men worked at a business next door and believed there was a large amount of cash in the store.
Officers say the store clerk was forced to sit in a chair and was shot execution-style. The 70 year old delivery-man, stocking the shelves, was shot in the head.
Police say the fifth man was involved in the robbery and killings, just how is still being investigated.