A natural gas-fueled drilling rig is shown earlier this year in Mentone, Texas. Texas, which has benefited from fracking, has tripled its production of oil in the past five years.Wall Street Journal – by Russell Gold

AUSTIN, Texas—Last year, a city in North Texas banned fracking. State lawmakers want to make sure that never happens again.

On Monday, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that prohibits bans of hydraulic fracturing altogether and makes it much harder for municipal and county governments to control where oil and gas wells can be drilled. Similar efforts are cropping up in states including New Mexico, Ohio, Colorado and Oklahoma, where both chambers of the legislature have passed a bill that limits local governments to “reasonable” restrictions on oil and gas activities.   Continue reading “Texas Prohibits Local Fracking Bans”

New York Daily News – by Caitlin Nolan

An off-duty peace officer was arrested after she attacked a woman in the Bronx early Sunday, police said.

Samantha Diaz, 25, a peace officer with the Department of Homeless Services, got into an argument with a woman on E. 161st St. near Gerard Ave., a block from Yankee Stadium, about 3:15 a.m., officials said.   Continue reading “Off-duty peace officer arrested after attacking woman in the Bronx: police”

We saw this coming. LOL

The Hill – by Tim Devaney

Gun safety advocates say a shootout between rival biker gangs in Texas that killed nine on Sunday should be a “wake up call” for lawmakers.

Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, blamed the Waco shooting on what she says are weak gun laws in Texas.   Continue reading “Gun control groups: Texas biker gang shooting a wake-up call”

For a $150 application fee, anyone can submit a short essay about why you should own this home in the Heights. In June, the owners will select a winner. Photo: Michael WachsChron – by Dylan Baddour

A two-bed, one-bath house in the Heights just hit the market for $150.

The real estate is valued at more than $300,000, but interested buyers need only submit a 200-word essay—that’s half a page—for a chance to buy the home for the price of an OK desk chair.

“We just wanted to try it out,” said Michael Wachs, 33, who is selling the home with his wife Stephanie. “There’s something appealing in kind of an anarchic way about a person or family being able to get into the heights for $150 in 2015.”   Continue reading “$300K+ Houston home for sale for $150 … plus a 200-word essay”

ASSOCIATED PRESSHuffington Post

NEW YORK (AP) — Sheila Beasley was struggling to clean up after her beloved Rottweiler, Rocky, on a Bronx sidewalk on a December day in 2008 when she briefly put his leash down – a move spotted by a nearby plainclothes police officer who promptly wrote her a summons for having an unleashed dog.

Beasley, a 50-year-old mother of two, said she forgot about the ticket and missed a court date to resolve it. That decision triggered a warrant for her arrest, and nearly three years later, police showed up at her door and hauled her off to jail, where she stayed for four days.   Continue reading “Amnesty Could Clear 1.2 Million Open Warrants In New York: Police Commissioner”

Hufington Post – by Laura Bassett

On a frigid day in November 1969, Father Joseph Maskell, the chaplain of Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore, called a student into his office and suggested they go for a drive. When the final bell rang at 2:40 p.m., Jean Hargadon Wehner, a 16-year-old junior at the all-girls Catholic school, followed the priest to the parking lot and climbed into the passenger seat of his light blue Buick Roadmaster.   Continue reading “Buried In Baltimore: The Mysterious Murder Of A Nun Who Knew Too Much”

NBC Philadelphia – by David Chang and Sarah Smith

At least six people were killed and over 140 people hurt after an Amtrak train, carrying 238 passengers and five crew members, derailed and rolled onto its side in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia Tuesday night, according to officials.

The death toll from the crash rose to six Wednesday morning when Temple University Hospital officials confirmed one patient had died of their injuries overnight. Eight patients remain in critical condition at Temple, and 25 have been released, chief medical officer Dr. Herbert Cushing said at a briefing.   Continue reading “6 Dead, Over 140 Hurt After Amtrak Train Derails, Rolls on Side in Philadelphia”

Killings by Police OklahomaThe Tribune – by JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS

TULSA, OKLA. — The Tulsa County sheriff placed the agency’s spokesman on administrative leave Monday following last month’s fatal shooting of a restrained man by a volunteer deputy.

Sheriff Stanley Glanz announced in a statement that Maj. Shannon Clark is on administrative leave, with pay, pending a performance evaluation. The move follows the April 2 shooting of Eric Harris by reserve deputy Robert Bates.

Glanz didn’t say why Clark was put on leave and didn’t respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press. Glanz said in the statement that Terry Simonson, the intergovernmental affairs and contract administrator for the agency, would be handling public information. Calls to Simonson seeking comment were not returned.   Continue reading “Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office spokesman placed on leave”

bearHuffington Post – by Ed Mazza

Don’t mess with mama bear.

Tourists in Yellowstone National Park learned that lesson the hard way last Wednesday when they got too close to a trio of cubs.

The National Park Service has a number of rules about viewing bears, and these tourists seem to have violated nearly all of them. NPS says to keep a distance of 100 yards (300 feet) and stay in your car when you spot the creatures along roads.   Continue reading “Mother Black Bear Chases Yellowstone Tourists Who Get Too Close To Her Cubs”

SheenatIPRiver Keeper

BUCHANAN, NY – The May 9 transformer fire at the Indian Point nuclear power plant – its third in the past eight years – appears to have resulted in an oil spill that could impact the health of the Hudson River and demonstrates why Indian Point must close.
On Mother’s Day morning, Riverkeeper patrolled the Hudson off Indian Point after the previous evening’s transformer fire, looking for possible discharges of transformer oil and/or of firefighting foam into the Hudson. Riverkeeper patrolled to the north and south of the plant and across the river on the Western (Rockland) shoreline. The patrol boat crew found areas of sheen at all locations except, thankfully, immediately at the Peekskill waterfront.   Continue reading “Latest Indian Point accident is proof positive that the plant must be closed”

The Cannabist – by Ricardo Baca

“Never give up the ganja.”

Morgan Freeman famously said those bold words in a 2003 interview with The Guardian. It was then when we learned that this man, one of Hollywood’s most prolific actors, didn’t mince words when it came to marijuana.

And now Freeman is again talking about his love of cannabis, which he uses regularly. In a new Daily Beast profile, Freeman spoke about the pain he feels daily — the result of a near-deadly car accident seven years ago.   Continue reading “Morgan Freeman on his cannabis use: ‘I’ll eat it, drink it, smoke it, snort it!’”

DC MARCHHuffington Post – by Lilly Workneh

A “Million Moms March” was held in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, rallying together a large crowd of mothers whose children have been killed by police. The mothers marched through the city on a mission to denounce police brutality and declare that the lives of their lost loved ones mattered — and that they still do.   Continue reading “‘Million Moms March’ Rallies In Washington For Children Killed By Police”

Parents Nationwide Urged to Take Kids to Park, Leave ThemPatch.com – by Deb Belt

As a national debate continues on whether its responsible parenting to let kids walk home alone from a park, supporters plan to take their kids to neighborhood parks May 9 and leave them there.

Parents across the country are being urged to head to parks Saturday at 10 a.m., meet other families, and then, left their children walk home unaccompanied if the parents deem them old enough and responsible enough for the journey.   Continue reading “Parents Nationwide Urged to Take Kids to Park, Leave Them”

Rick Scott of security contractor Camber Corp impersonates a hostile shooter during a training exercise at Quantico Middle High School in Quantico, Virginia (Reuters / James Lawler Duggan)RT

US Army field manuals admit that public drills are aimed at dealing with political dissidents that need to be “reeducated to gain a new appreciation of US policies,” Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars Editor at Large told RT’s In the Now.

RT: The police in the US are accused more than ever now of militarization. A video has appeared online showing armed national guardsmen conducting exercises near a children’s playground in Virginia. We contacted the infantry brigade – here’s what they told us: coordination was made with the Staunton Police Department, these are freshers who are training on basic military subjects like drill and ceremonies, basic first aid, military courtesies and the guns they carry are replicas. What is wrong with it?   Continue reading “‘US National Guard’s drills in public aimed at dealing with domestic ‘dissidents’’”

Families welcome back Soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard's 34th Combat Aviation Brigade at Holman Field in St. Paul, April 25, 2015, from a deployment to Kuwait.Task and Purpose

The National Guard is running the risk of losing its long-held community ties as it becomes more aligned with the regular Army.

It was a beautiful spring evening as my convoy traversed the country roads en route from our state training area back to the armory. It had been a weekend of continuous field operations for my unit, and the soldiers, while tired, were happy to have conducted solid training. As we passed through the small villages and towns, people would wave, honk, or yell, “Thank you,” to the convoy as it rolled by. In a few cases, families stopped their barbecues to stand alongside the road together and wave as we went by. I was struck with the thought that if I was on active duty and coming back from the training area, this would never happen. The National Guard’s community connection is truly unique. And unfortunately, we’re on the verge of losing it.   Continue reading “Why The National Guard Needs Its Community Connection”

Friday's ForecastWeather.com

Two tornado watches are in effect for parts of the Southern Plains, and large hail has already been reported in Texas as Friday’s round of severe weather has gotten off to an early start. Following Wednesday’s tornado outbreak in the Plains andThursday’s severe weather and flooding rain, a dangerous, multi-day severe weather outbreak will persist through Mother’s Day in many of the same areas.

Saturday poses a particularly dangerous risk for tornadoes in the heart of the Plains states, while Mother’s Day may feature severe weather from the Upper Midwest to Texas.   Continue reading “Tornado Watches Issued in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico; Tornado Outbreak Possible Friday into Mother’s Day Weekend”

AOL

It’s a big day for heric dogs in Canada. Sako, a 4-year-old king shepherd, is being inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame for heroically saving the life of his teenage owner.In 2014 Joseph Phillips-Garcia was involved in a fatal car accident on a road trip in British Columbia. He was the only survivor of the crash thanks to his dog Sako.

Phillips-Garcia and Sako were thrown from the vehicle when it went off the side of the road. The 16-year-old suffered a broken leg and collar bone and couldn’t move. Sako stayed with him as he slipped out of consciousness.   Continue reading “Hero dogs inducted into the Purina Animal Hall of Fame”