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MRT: Cruz, Allred Engage in Debate // Robertson Clemency Bid Rejected // HISD’s $4.4B Bond Spends on Shrinking Campuses // Musk Dumps $75M into PAC
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
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MustReadTexas.com – @MustReadTexas
BY: @MattMackowiak
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WEDNESDAY || 10/16/24
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“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX)
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TOP NEWS
“One day from execution, Texas rejects Robert Roberson's clemency bid in 'shaken baby' case,” Austin American-Statesman's John C. Moritz — “The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles unanimously rejected a clemency application Wednesday for a condemned inmate whose conviction more than 20 years ago rested solely on scientific evidence that many legal and medical experts say has since been discredited.
The rejection comes just one day before death row inmate Robert Roberson is scheduled to be executed for the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Nikki, whom he had rushed to the hospital in their hometown town of Palestine in East Texas and told authorities she had fallen out of bed.
Medical staff at the time believed the child was a victim of "shaken baby syndrome." Members of the Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee, however, now say the scientific understanding of shaken baby syndrome has been discredited and they appealed for court intervention.
The Pardons and Paroles Board's decision came just after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals earlier Wednesday rejected in a 5-4 decision the House committee's plea that Roberson's pending execution be postponed to give the Legislature more time to overhaul a law meant to revisit convictions that were based on flawed science.
Committee members told the appeals court that Roberson's death sentence handed down in 2003 rested solely on the shaken baby syndrome theory, and they included in their legal brief a statement from Dr. Norman Guthkelch, a physician known for establishing the syndrome's hypothesis, saying it should not be relied on to obtain convictions.
“I am frankly quite disturbed that what I intended as a friendly suggestion for avoiding injury to children has become an excuse for imprisoning innocent parents," Guthkelch's statement said.
The appeals court, however, said the committee had failed to show that the law it had invoked in the effort to postpone Roberson's execution was not applicable in the case. The court said it rejected "the application as an abuse of the writ without reviewing the merits of the claims raised."
Roberson is scheduled to be executed after 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Board and Pardons and Paroles rejected both Roberson's bid for clemency and a bid for an 180-day reprieve.
Aside from any eleventh-hour appeal in the courts, Roberson's fate now rests with Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who under the law has the option of issuing a one-time 30-day reprieve to allow the condemned man's legal team to pursue other possible avenues to stop the execution." AAS ($)
HOU CHRON: “Houston area explosion: Propane fire in Waller County injures 1” Houston Chronicle ($)
SAEN: “Decorated Texas A&M professor fatally struck by garbage truck in College Station” SAEN ($)
DMN: “Jury awards American Airlines $9.4 million against 'hidden city' ticketer Skiplagged” DMN ($)
HOU CHRON: “HISD's $4.4B bond spends $445M on shrinking schools -- here's why” Houston Chronicle ($)
THE HILL: “5 takeaways from the Texas Senate debate” The Hill
HOU LANDING: “Harris County DA race: Teare, Simons records very different tenures as prosecutors” Houston Landing
HOU CHRON: “Elon Musk sends $75M to Texas-based super PAC helping Donald Trump” Houston Chronicle ($)
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
> TX TRIB: "Texas rejects insurance rate increase for coastal homeowners, businesses" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Colin Allred, Ted Cruz blast each other as “extreme,” throw jabs on border and abortion in Senate debate" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Texas’ voter rolls and noncitizens: What you need to know" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Nearly half of Texas high school students who earn college credits are Hispanic, study says" TX TRIB
> TX TRIB: "Laredo enters its sixth day of a boil-water notice after E. coli is discovered in water system" TX TRIB
> AP: "Supreme Court opens door to Texas online journalist’s lawsuit over her 2017 arrest" AP
> AP: "Ted Cruz and Colin Allred meet in the only debate in the Texas Senate race" AP
> FWST: "Ted Cruz-Colin Allred debate: Candidates spar in closely watched Texas race for US Senate" FWST
> HOU CHRON: "Key takeaways from the Senate debate between Ted Cruz and Colin Allred" HOU CHRON
> DMN: "In wake of Ken Paxton’s acquittal, Senate mulls changing rules for impeachment" DMN
> DMN: "Ted Cruz, Colin Allred come out swinging over abortion, immigration in Texas debate" DMN
> DMN: "Harris works to energize Black male voters while attacking Trump’s ‘stop and frisk’ support" DMN
> TX MONTHLY: "PepsiCo Has Purchased the Beloved Siete Brand. Some Fans Are Concerned." TX MONTHLY
> HOU CHRON: "Westbury High School administrator charged with sexual assault" HOU CHRON
> DMN: "Fair Park operator accused of misspending donor funds says it is owed $2.1 million" DMN
> THE TEXAN: "Cruz, Allred Spar Over the Border, Abortion, and Biological Men in Women’s Sports in Lone Senate Debate" THE TEXAN
> TPR: "Personal information for more than 115,000 Texans leaked in DPS data breach" TPR
> TPR: "Watch: Cruz and Allred faced off in Senate race’s only debate" TPR
> FWST: "Tarrant County extends jail mental health services contract amid heightened scrutiny" FWST
> TPR: "Walgreens will close 1,200 stores, hoping for a turnaround" TPR
> SAEN: "5 years later, no answers in Anaqua Springs Ranch slayings" SAEN
> SAEN: "Ex-Army workers get prison in bribery scheme tied to Fiesta royalty" SAEN
> THE TEXAN: "Interview: Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne on the Texas GOP, November Election, Border Crisis" THE TEXAN
EXTRA POINTS
Last night's Texas sports scores:
> NHL: Dallas 3, San Jose 2
Tonight's Texas sports schedule:
> 7:30pm: NCAAF: Western Kentucky at Sam Houston St. (ESPN2)
> 8pm: NCAAF: Florida International at UTEP (CBS Sports Network)
DALLAS COWBOYS: "With NFL's worst run, COwboys must find answers during bye week" DMN ($)
TEXAS FOOTBALL: "Texas vs. Georgia football could be Heisman elimination game for Quinn Ewers, Carson Beck" AAS ($)
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