By Bill Zeeble & BJ Austin, KERA News
Dallas, TX – Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price leveled new allegations against former Elections Administrator, Bruce Sherbet, who resigned amidst controversy last month. In Commissioner's Court, dozens of Democratic and Republican supporters - including James Porter - praised Sherbet and bashed commissioners for forcing him out.
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Porter: He's nationally recognized, has an exemplary record, is un- partial & endorsed by Republicans and Democrats alike. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Democratic County Commissioner Price rejected an attempt to keep Sherbet on as a consultant, then added more criticism.
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Price: Mr. Sherbet now has $2 million dollars sitting over there for voter registration. Tell me why Dallas County is ranked in the bottom 10 counties in the state per capita Our registration level is at 1998 levels. We got 2 million dollars. Is it because there's a changing demographic? Is that because no one wants to see certain populations registered to vote?
In addition to the veiled charge of racism, Price leveled other allegations against Sherbet, who could not be reached for comment.
Dallas May Meet Deadline To Fix Levees
Dallas officials say they've jumped one hurdle in the race to fix the levees before FEMA re-draws its map to include hundreds of properties not now in the flood plain. That would be a major expense for property owners.
Assistant City Manager Jill Jordan updated the Trinity River Committee on preliminary results of soil tests required by the Corps of Engineers.
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Jordan: The test results are coming in fairly close to what the city's consultant had predicted the "sheer strengths" would be. So as a result, we're looking pretty good.
Jordan says final results come next month, but it appears the city's on track to finish levee repairs by the December deadline - IF layers of bureaucracy and actual construction go off without a hitch.
Reward For Serial Bank Robbery Suspects
The FBI has announced a 25 thousand dollar reward for arrests in a string of bank robberies in Dallas, Cedar Hill and Irving -- as many as ten in recent months.
Each time guns have been displayed, and the suspects are considered armed and dangerous. They are described as two black males, medium height, wearing baggy blue jeans, dark hooded sweatshirts and masks.
More Info & Pictures: http://dallas.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel11/dl020811.htm
Proposed sonogram mandate for abortions curtailed
A proposed law that would require doctors to show women a sonogram of their fetus before performing an abortion will be modified to give the woman greater control over what she sees and hear, the bill's main author said Tuesday.
Opponents of the bill complained that it required doctors to display a sonogram to women seeking an abortion and would force the doctor to describe the image on the screen and play the fetal heartbeat. As drafted, the bill would have allowed a woman to "avert her eyes" but did not allow her to decline the information.
State Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, said he would present a new version of the bill that would allow the patient to avoid seeing the sonogram or listening to the heartbeat or the description.