By Bill Zeeble, KERA News & Wire Services
Dallas, TX – A federal appeals court says two Plano-area elementary school principals are immune from liability for stopping students from handing out Christian candy cane pens and other on-campus religious expressions.
The full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans agreed that Plano school principals Lynn Swanson and Jackie Bomchill had qualified immunity from liability.
However, a fragmented court apparently reached no consensus on whether the children's free-speech rights were violated - or even had free-speech rights to begin with.
Four families with students in Plano schools sued in 2004, claiming their children had been banned from handing out pencils saying "Jesus is the reason for the season," candy canes with cards describing their Christian origin, and other religious materials.
E. coli scare prompts Tyson to recall ground beef
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. is recalling about 131,300 pounds of ground beef that might be contaminated with E. coli.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it became aware of the problem when Ohio health authorities reported that a family in Butler County had become ill with E. coli. Ground beef in the family's home tested positive for the bacteria.
The products being recalled include Kroger-brand ground beef; Butcher's Brand beef and generic label beef, which were all produced Aug. 23.
The Kroger beef was distributed in Tennessee and Indiana; the Butcher's beef in North and South Carolina and the generic beef in Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
Tyson Foods did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Equity Center Plans To Sue Texas For Education Funding
The Equity Center says too many school districts are underfunded, and that's not fair. So the long-standing education advocacy group says it will sue Texas next month, to fix things.
Lauren Cook, with the Center, says a law suit may be the only way to make sure all school districts get a fair share of dollars for each student.
Cook: Lovejoy ISD, in Collin County, is taxing at a rate of $1.06, and for this school year we're in now they're going to receive approximately $7, 401 per student. Lake Worth ISD, they're in Tarrant County, and they're taxing at a rate of $1.17, the maximum rate, and they're bringing in $5,693 per student.
Cook says the difference occurs because the current school finance system does not equate your tax rate with the revenue schools get from state and local sources.
The Governor's office did not respond to the allegations, but says half the state funds in the recently passed budget are committed to education.
Fire burns some of set for 2003 film "The Alamo"
An assistant fire chief in Texas says a wildfire has destroyed part of the set for the 2003 film "The Alamo" and charred at least 150 acres near Austin.
Lake Travis Assistant Fire Chief John Durham says the fire broke out about 6:30 p.m. He says lightning is believed to have struck the film set near Hamilton Pool Park, about 24 miles west of downtown Austin.
Fire crews were focusing on containing the fire that spread to the nearby brush and Reimers Ranch Park, which has been evacuated.
Allegations of sex shows, hazing at Texas frat
A lawsuit filed in Austin alleges a University of Texas fraternity committed hazing and hired performers for live sex shows to recruit new members.
The national Kappa Alpha Order suspended the Texas chapter and is now suing to seize its assets, including money and property, worth more than $200,000.
According to the lawsuit, the local chapter, now called Texas Omicron continues to present itself as affiliated with Kappa Alpha to recruit new members. The lawsuit does not detail the allegations of hazing and the live sex shows or when they occurred.
A University of Texas spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit was filed Sept. 21. According to the Kappa Alpha Order, the fraternity has had a chapter at Texas for 128 years.