05/09/2008 Crawford plays supporting role for Jenna Bush wedding So close and yet so far: Tiny Crawford is sort of like a bridesmaid at arm's length from Jenna Bush’s wedding Saturday.

Bush family getting ready for Jenna's Texas wedding
The couple is hosting a rehearsal dinner Friday night. On Saturday, guests will enjoy a barbeque lunch.

Neighbor fatally shoots man attacking doughnut maker
Chong "Angel" Randle" said she and her mother were getting ready to make donuts at about 1:30 a.m. when a man broke into the store and attacked her. As the man threatened to kill her, she said, "If you shoot me, I will go to heaven."

Organized retail theft rings work stores
They stock up, but they don’t check out. Grocery store surveillance video shows a team of shoplifters at work. Retailers say organized packs of shoplifters are sweeping shelves clean, then reselling stolen goods on eBay or at flea markets. "We have not seen regular shoplifting rise over the last several weeks or months because of inflation," said Kroger spokesman Gary Huddleston. "What we have seen increase is organized retail crime."

Dallas police:Drug operation run by children
Dallas police raided a home Wednesday night. They found heroin, marijuana, guns and a rifle. Police say the people running this operation are children. "As a society this ought to be very disturbing to all of us," said Deputy Chief Julian Bernal, Dallas Police Department. Police say an undercover officer bought heroin off a 14 year old boy at the house.... who was using an 8 year old relative as a look out.

AG bans shipping horsemeat through Texas
That’s according to an opinion issued this week by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

Gas jumps above $3.67, oil passes $126
Oil rose above $126 a barrel for the first time Friday, bringing its advance this week to nearly $10, as investors questioned whether a possible confrontation between the U.S. and Venezuela could cut exports from the OPEC member.

05/08/2008

AP: Surplus ain't what it's cracked up to be
A 10.7 billion dollar budget surplus predicted this week by Comptroller Susan Combs set Texas Capitol-tongues awagging with plans for tax rebates. But the surplus is actually about two billion dollars.

Applications spike for Texas concealed handgun permits
Texans are applying for concealed handgun licenses at a rate nearly 40 percent higher than a year ago, causing a backlog in new applications and permit renewals.

Thousands of Texas nurses have arrest records
Few times in history has nursing become such a lucrative career. Salaries spiked because of a shortage in the industry. But News 8 found that among the hardworking, dedicated nurses, one in every 20 has a criminal record.

Ton of pot found in 'empty' trailer
Customs officers in El Paso drilled into the floor of what appeared to be an empty truck trailer and discovered nearly one ton of marijuana. Authorities on Thursday announced the seizure involves pot with a street value topping $1.9 million.

Cigarette sparked Ballet Austin fire
Austin fire investigators say a discarded cigarette sparked a fire at the ballet Austin building in Central Austin. The historic building caught fire Tuesday night.

Sinking salt domes not new to Texas
Dr. Carl Norman studies sinkholes and salt domes. "In the greater Houston area, Beaumont, we've got about 50, 53 of these salt domes," Dr. Norman said.

Police: Thieves steal diamonds worth $750,000 in bold heist
Three men wearing ski masks and armed with knives chased down a diamond broker in North Dallas on Wednesday afternoon and snatched his suitcase with $750,000 worth of jewels inside, police said.

Web Extra: President Bush back in Texas for Jenna's wedding President Bush stuck out his right elbow Thursday, jokingly demonstrating how he’ll escort his daughter down the aisle at her wedding this weekend.

Mexico's top cop gunned down
The Public Safety Department said Edgar Millan Gomez was shot 10 times and died hours later in a hospital. Two of his bodyguards were wounded.

American Airlines plane loses panel after takeoff, continues flight to Paris
American Airlines Inc. is investigating why a wide-body jet lost an exterior access panel shortly after it took off April 20 from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on its way to Paris.

Texas to target uninsured drivers
Three years after the Legislature passed a law to crack down on uninsured motorists, the number of drivers caught without insurance coverage under the 2005 statute is exactly zero. An estimated one in five Texans drives without insurance, costing insured motorists an extra $1 billion a year for protection against uninsured drivers.

TX woman hits $21 million slot jackpot
Connie Thiele says she was playing a Megabucks slot machine at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas when she decided to switch to the machine next to her.

05/07/2008

Texas Attorney General clarifies state's stance on sale of horse meat
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott spoke out Wednesday about a story 11 News first exposed on the slaughter of horses for consumption.

2 children found in home full of trash, feces
Two barefoot children were found sitting on a soiled mattress in a back room Monday evening. Broken glass and razor blades were found in the home. A pistol was found on a window ledge near the children, said Dallas police Senior Cpl. Kevin Janse.

Cops: Teen sold pot brownies at school
A student allegedly admitted selling the marijuana-laced brownies for $4 a pop because she wanted to make money to buy a laptop.

American Airlines ranks worst in on-time arrivals among U.S. carriers
American and American Eagle were beset by bad weather in March, including at least six days of storms at DFW Airport.

Students displaced by Our Lady of the Lake University fire in San Antonio More than 100 students have been displaced from their dormitory after a fire damaged a historic building on the campus of Our Lady of the Lake University.

Crawford cashes in on Bush wedding
The wedding of one of President Bush’s twin daughters at his 1,600-acre Central Texas ranch is the social event of the year— maybe the century—in this one-stoplight town.

Several firms set layoffs in Texas
Several companies have recently disclosed pending layoffs in Texas, including a number involving more than 100 workers apiece, according to regulatory filings.

Woman finds bible filled with cash
What would you do if you found a bible on the street, with thousands of dollars inside? Would you keep it? It was never really a question for one Dallas woman.

Cracks near huge sinkhole cause worries A sinkhole in Liberty County is now three football fields wide and growing. Cracks around the edges are being watched closely, especially near FM 770. Slideshow: Daisetta sinkhole

Texas to handle possible polygamist criminal cases
A judge in San Angelo says -Texas-should handle any criminal cases that could arise from a polygamist compound raid.

Heinz to close plant in Dallas
H.J. Heinz plans to close a plant in Dallas next month, affecting nearly 200 employees.

More people with Hispanic last names registering to vote
Voter registration among Dallas County residents with Spanish surnames climbed in the first four months of 2008.

Lubbock settles Taser death suit
Lubbock officials have agreed to pay a $49,000 settlement to the family of domestic violence suspect who died in Lubbock police custody.

Questions arise about Carrollton mayor's claims of singing career
Carrollton Mayor Becky Miller has said she sang back up for Linda Ronstadt and dated the Eagles Don Henley. But, some say, those stories don't check out.

7 middle-schoolers accused of burglary spree in McKinney
Seven middle school students are accused of stealing $21,000 in property during 18 home and vehicle burglaries in east McKinney this year, police said.

05/06/2008 Blaze strikes historic San Antonio university The cause of the fire is under investigation, but university authorities confirmed that there had been a bomb threat the day before. Slideshow

Mexican town with polygamist roots eyes West Texas compound controversy
A tiny town founded by polygamists in Mexico is keeping a close eye on the controversy surrounding the compound in West Texas.

Who decides what children learn in school? The State Board of Education has 15 elected members and they determine the standards for what kids are going to be taught in Texas public schools.

Woman who falsely cried rape gets 5 years in prison
Tracy Roberson dropped her head as the sentence was read. Afterward, her family members screamed in anguish outside of the courtroom. Prosecutors said that Mrs. Roberson's husband shot Devin LaSalle to death because his wife falsely claimed she was being raped.

Dallas police stop car with ATM inside
Dallas police officers stopped a car with an ATM in back in Deep Ellum early Tuesday morning and arrested a suspect.

Boomer retirees are loving what Texas Hill Country affords them
Baby boomers’ growing desire to retire to small towns is turning the Texas Hill Country into one of the nation’s hot spots for the silver-haired set.

05/05/2008 More details released about Jenna Bush's wedding On Monday, the president disclosed that Jenna will say “I do” near a lake at the ranch—in front of a giant cross made of Texas limestone that will serve as an altar.

05/06/2008

Man arrested with gun, ammo at South Austin Wal-Mart
A man was arrested with a 9mm handgun and ammunition at a South Austin Wal-Mart Thursday afternoon, according to court documents, and has been charged with making a terroristic threat.

Inmate charged in 1984 death of SMU student
Donald Andrew Bess, 59, faces a capital murder charge in the death of Angela Samota, who was found sexually assaulted and stabbed more than 20 times in her East Dallas condominium in October 1984, police said.

05/05/2008

Texas landowners getting $1 million to control feral hogs
On Monday, the Texas Department of Agriculture announced it has awarded the Texas AgriLife Extension Service $1 million for the project.

Rio Grande levee, border fence approved
Hidalgo County has finalized its agreement with the federal government to build a combination of levee and border fence along 22 miles of existing levees along the Rio Grande.

August execution set for Mexican national who killed 2 Houston girls A judge in Houston set the lethal injection date for Jose Medellin for his participation in the rape-slayings of Jennifer Ertman and Elizabeth Pena 15 years ago.

Updated security lines at Dallas Love Field
The Transportation Security Administration is relying on a system often used at ski slopes to help move travelers through Dallas Love Field.

Crawford, Texas plays it cool as Jenna Bush wedding approaches
Not long ago, in those heady early days of the Western White House, a presidential daughter's wedding might have set loose a frenzy of anticipation here on the Central Texas prairie.

Jenna Bush wedding quiz

Details emerge on Jenna Bush's wedding
In just a few days, first daughter Jenna Bush walks down the aisle – or whatever passes for an aisle at the president's 1,600-acre Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford.

05/04/2008 Women critically injured when sparklers explode at wedding Two women were in critical condition Sunday after receiving third-degree burns to their faces and arms when a group of sparklers exploded outside of a wedding.

Thousands attend state trooper's funeral A state trooper gunned down in his patrol car after making a traffic stop was remembered Saturday as a devoted public servant whose soft laugh and gentle manner made him stand out in his small town.

Reports show systemic abuse at Texas' psychiatric hospitals
Patients with severe mental illness are committed to Texas' state psychiatric hospitals to be protected from themselves. Instead, some are suffering vicious abuse from the very caregivers hired to look after them.

Holocaust Museum relics preserve memories of atrocities Nearly every week, unsolicited items arrive at the Holocaust Museum in Dallas. Some come from Holocaust survivors or the people who liberated them. The items are always haunting.

Man's dead father a victim of ID theft
You never know what to expect when you get the mail, and its safe to say John Pennington wasn't expecting a bill for his father. Pennington thought it was strange that his father was receiving a bill for something. Strange, because his father, John W. Pennington, has been dead for 3 years. And the bill? Well, it showed he was pretty busy. "I looked at it and it was huge, the bill wasn't no $100 bill. It was huge," said Pennington.

05/03/2008

Severed leg found lodged in truck bumper
A truck driver accused of fleeing an accident after a motorcycle smashed into the back of his tractor-trailer faces an evidence-tampering charge after a chunk of the dead cyclists’ leg was found lodged near the bumper.

Mexican bus lines under scrutiny
Despite danger, riders seeking a cheap way across the border seem undeterred by the fatal wrecks, allegations of drug smuggling.

Gravestones moved, graves left behind
Somewhere at picturesque Fort Fisher Park lie the bones of an ex-slave who became a Waco City Councilman.  Somewhere nearby lies the father of the founder of Dr Pepper Co.  And somewhere else is the man who murdered vitriolic Texas journalist William Cowper Brann.