Austin American-Statesman from Austin, Texas • 14

METRO STATE BRIEFING Thursday, May 31, 2007 Austin American-Statesman statesman.com B2 AUSTIN CENTRAL URBAN AFFAIRS TEXAS DIGEST AUSTIN Driver dies after being thrown The driver of a vehicle was killed in a wreck about 2 p.m. Wednesday while traveling east in the 6800 block of .25 miles 1 1 "SIS, East Ben White Boulevard, near Montopolis Drive. The driver lost control of the Ford Expedition and veered into the median, where the vehicle flipped and crossed into the westbound lanes, said Kevin Buchman, a spokesman for the Austin Police Fatal accident Kelly West Luci Baines Johnson accepts a signed bill from U.S. Director Betty Sue Flowers is at right; at far left is Rep. Michael McCaul on Wednesday.

LBJ Library University of Texas President William Powers Jr. Department. The driver was ejected, and he died al the scene. A female passenger was taken to Brackenridge Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Buchman said. This was the 28th traffic fatality in Austin in 2007.

New charges for former professor A former University of Texas professor, in jail on charges of stalking and deadly conduct in connection with the harassment of his former bosses and co-workers at the College of Engineering, also has been charged with soliciting someone to kill them. According to an arrest affidavit, a fellow inmate told corrections officers that Gary Lamar Wise, 61, wanted to pay him $10,000 to kill his ex-wife and four current or former University of Texas employees, including former President Larry Faulkner. Woman arrested in teen's death Austin police say they have arrested a second suspect in connection with the April 21 shooting death of an 18-year-old Mexican immigrant who AUSTIN Parking, vendor hearings delayed The City Council on May 24 postponed public hearings on yard parking and mobile food vendors until April, and some neighborhoods that had applied to put restrictions in place aren't happy about the delay. "We're very upset about it," said Jeff Jack, president of the Zilker Neighborhood Association, which wants vendors to close at 10 p.m. and be no closer than 50 feet to homes.

"It was an opportunity to put some protections for us in the future, and the future's tomorrow." The city ordinances on both matters say that the council should consider the neighborhood applications for restriction in April each year and that notice of the public hearings should be made in a newspaper of general circulation no later than the 16th day before the hearing. The neighborhood associations also must be registered with the city's Public Information Office. Those things didn't occur, according to Council Member Mike Martinez, who made the motions to postpone. When he learned that the city did not comply with its own ordinances, he said, he thought a delay was the best option. "I just requested that we postpone it, that we get this right," he said.

Austin Energy to lower fuel charge Beginning Friday, Austin Energy will lower its fuel charge 9 percent, or about $3 a month for residential customers who use 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity. The reason for the change is a decrease in natural gas prices and more efficient deliveries of coal to the Fayette Power Project, which Austin partly owns, said Austin Energy spokesman Ed Clark. In recent years, railroads haven't met the normal coal delivery schedule to the power plant, but Austin Energy has added a second rail carrier to maintain sufficient coal supplies, he said. Austin Energy normally adjusts the fuel charge once or twice a year, Clark said. GreenChoice customers aren't affected by the change because their rates are fixed for the life of a contract.

The utility's base electric rates also will not change, Clark said. TRAVIS COUNTY Input sought on park plan In late 2005, Travis County voters approved bonds to buy the much-ballyhooed Reimers Ranch, a privately owned hiking-and-climbing mecca in Southwest Travis County. Now, the county has a plan for Reimers Ranch and wants to know what you think. "We want to hear what other things are out there our (park) users would like to see," said Roy Turley, the county's parks division manager. Milton Reimers Ranch Park, as it's nownamed, would stay much the same under the county's proposed plan.

The 500-acre park has rock climbing, fishing and trails for hiking and, mountain biking. Turley said the county would determine whether other uses would fit. The county commissioners have final say. But their decision will come only after public hearings on June 5, 6, 7, 11 and 13. They start at 6 p.m.

For a list of locations, call Travis County Parks at 854-7275, or go to www.co.travis.tx.us! tnrparksdefault.asp. Reimers Ranch is part of 2,360 acres near the Pedernales River thatTravis County boughtwith $26 million in bond money approved in 2005. About 600 of those acres are a nature preserve. Turley said plans for the rest are not settled. From staff reports Johnson family celebrates honor U.S.

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, and University of Texas officials on Wednesday presented the LBJ Museum and President Lyndon Baines Johnson's family with a copy of the bill and the pen used by President Bush to rename the U.S. Department of Education building in honor of Johnson. The bill was sponsored by U.S. Rep.

Gene Green, D-Houston. "As president, Johnson passed more than 50 education laws," said McCaul, whose district was once represented by Johnson. "It is fitting that we dedicate the education building in Washington, D.C., to enshrine his memory." Luci Baines Johnson said her father believed in quality public education. Johnson signed many education-related bills into law, including the 1964 Head Start Act. "I believe, within all my heart, that there is no other building Daddy would have cherished having named after him more than the education building," she said.

was walking through a parking lot with his father. Catalina Corona-Mendez, 31, was arrested Tuesday in the 1400 block of St. Johns Avenue, police said. She she has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony. Her bail was set at $400,000.

Police already arrested Christian Palacios, 36, last Catalina month and charged him with capital murder in the death of Gamaliel Jimenez Bohorquez. Morning: 13400 block of Research Boulevard, Airport Boulevard, 1800 block of West Fifth Street Afternoon: 1500 to 4500 blocks of East Riverside Drive, William Cannon Drive. ROUND ROCK Student recognized for letter Canyon Vista Middle School sixth-grader Cameihl Rivera was one of 25 students honored by the Scholastic Publishing Co. for a letter she wrote about racism, the company announced Wednesday. Rivera, who attends school in the Round Rock district, was one of more than 10,000 students who wrote letters to Ruby Bridges, who in her autobiography "Through My Eyes" detailed her experiences as the first black girl to attend a white school in New Orleans.

In her letter to Bridges, Rivera described her own feelings about racism: "In the middle school I go to no some students go into groups of their race and make fun of other kids, most of them don't, thankfully. I think of racism is very wrong. It is not the person's fault if heshe is not the color you are; it is just in their genes." The author selected 25 letters with the most eloquent and sincere descriptions of experiences with racism as winners of the "Dear Ruby Bridges" contest. The winners will receive personalized stationery, a signed copy of Bridges' book and a 25-book "Diversity Classroom Library" for their schools. LOCKHART Woman accused of abusing kids A 30-year-old Lockhart woman has been arrested on suspicion of physically and sexually assaulting several children.

Romelia Villanueva Reyna was arrested May 11 in San Marcos, according to Caldwell County sheriff's office records. Reyna is being held in the Caldwell County Jail in lieu of $150,000 bail. TEXAS DIGEST GLEN ROSE Game warden dies during rescue A Texas game warden died and another was injured Wednesday when their boat capsized while they searched for a missing teenager, authorities said. Teyran "Ty" Patterson, 28, apparently drowned while searching the swollen Paluxy River, southwest of Fort Worth, for 16-year-old Courtney Butler, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman Tom Harvey said. Butler disappeared Tuesday while swimming with friends.

She. hasn't been found. Patterson's partner in the boat, Danny Tuggle, was airlifted to a Fort Worth hospital and was in good condition, Harvey said. He did not know why the boat capsized but said the river was high with muddy water from recent storms. "Ty died doing what he loved," said Col.

Pete Flores, the department's law enforcement division director. Patterson is the second game warden to die on the job this year. In March, Justin Hurst was shot while helping track down a poaching suspect. TEXAS A banner year for drug seizures Texas Department of Public Safety troopers broke records in 2006, seizing more drugs during traffic stops than at any other time in DPS history, a spokesman said Wednesday. Troopers seized three tons of cocaine, 48 tons of marijuana and 267 pounds of methamphet-amine last year, which are all records.

"Our troopers lead the nation in drug seizures on a yearly basis, but now they have set a new standard of excellence," said Col. Thomas Davis director of the Department of Public Safety. "Taking more than 100,000 pounds of drugs off the streets and arresting 1,975 drug smugglers is good news for Texas." The confiscated drugs, which are valued at $335.9 million, are typically destroyed by incineration, according to the agency. Compiled from staff and wire reports Police said they think Corona-Mendez and Palacios approached Jimenez and his father to rob them. They said Jimenez was shot during the robbery.

He died at Brackenridge Hospital. Police have said that Palacios is a member of the violent international MS-13 gang. The shooting was the first violent crime attributed to a member of the gang in Austin. Austin Police Detective Richard Guajardo said investigators have not established any connection between Corona-Mendez and the gang. Man charged in mall attacks Austin police have charged a man in connection with a pair of attacks outside Barton Creek Square mall in Southwest Austin last week.

Christopher Arevalo, 19, was charged with two counts of assault with injury, a class A misdemeanor, police said. Arevalo's bail was set at $30,000. Just before 9:40 p.m. May 21, police said, Arevalo started talking with the first victim in the parking lot of the mall at 2901 S. Capitol of Texas Highway (Loop 360), and then Arevalo attacked him.

About 40 minutes later, police say, Arevalo attacked another man on the other side of the mall. Arevalo left the scene in a silver sedan driven by a woman, police said. Anyone with more information about the incident is asked to call investigators at 974-4402. Police traffic enforcement Police will be watching for traffic-law violations in these areas today: Life in Central Texas statesman.com austin360.com Reader Julie Brown Casey started with a blog about training for the Capitol 10,000. Now, she writes about 'raising Hp8 it kids, staying fit and chasing She's a professor, a mom and a well-read blogger on statesman.com.

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