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Aug. 31 -- Other towns look for industry; Dalhart seeks settlers: DALLAS (AP) - About 300 people have asked about moving to Dalhart, in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle, since the town began advertising a $1,000 bonus for anyone who will move to the community and join its work force.

Aug. 31 -- Survey: Likely litterers young, single, enjoy fast food and bars: AUSTIN - It's messy and illegal, and a new survey shows more than one-third of Texans has done it in the past three years.

Aug. 31 -- Women seek balanced lives for weary souls: (AP) - A female counterpart to Promise Keepers on Saturday urged spiritual renewal for women worn down by family, home and career obligations idealized as "having it all" by Madison Avenue.

Aug. 30 -- Search intensifies for those still missing in border floods: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) -- Texas National Guard helicopters began removing overturned vehicles and giant piles of debris from the San Felipe Creek Saturday as the search intensified for possible flood victims.

Aug. 30 -- Historic neighborhood destroyed in flood looks to start again: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) -- Just four months ago, new life had been breathed into the historic plaza that was the heart of Del Rio's San Felipe neighborhood.

Aug. 30 -- Surprise: Two checks worth $525,000 turn up in Austin: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Two checks from the state of Texas totaling $525,000 were in the mail -- really, they were.

Aug. 30 -- Federal agency excluded from Love Field lawsuit: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- The Department of Transportation will not be named as a defendant in the lawsuit over expansion of interstate flights at Dallas Love Field, a state district judge has ruled.

Aug. 30 -- Poetry goes pop at the slam; evolution brings cheers, fears: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- The heat of Texas can make you crazy. You snap your fingers to imaginary songs and glare at strangers like they landed from Mars. You drink margaritas until your stomach swims and seek a breeze like it's the breath of God.

Aug. 30 -- Police suspect disc jockey responsible for at least 10 rapes in past decade: DALLAS (AP) -- A police investigator believes a longtime area disc jockey is a serial rapist responsible for at least 10 unsolved sexual assaults in the past decade.

Aug. 29 -- Federal officials arrive in Del Rio as search for missing continues: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) -- Federal emergency officials on Friday began assessing the extent of flood damage in this border town as cleanup crews and search teams worked to remove debris and find those still missing.

Aug. 29 -- Texas chain to close remaining 23 five-and-dime stores: DALLAS (AP) -- Call it the end of an era.

Aug. 29 -- No-kill shelter may have to put some animals to death: BIG SPRING, Texas (AP) -- Whether worn and woolly or just too doggone mean and surly, no animal that has had the misfortune to end up at the Howard County Humane Society has ever been put to death unless it was mortally wounded or deathly ill.

Aug. 29 -- State, federal officials investigate state housing official: HOUSTON (AP) -- A state housing department official is being investigated by the FBI and Texas Rangers for participating in an alleged scheme that would have allowed her to profit from the federal low-income housing money she oversees.

Aug. 29 -- Twelve "graduates" told their diplomas are worthless: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- It may be back to school for 12 students who received diplomas this spring from O'Connell High School.

Aug. 29 -- Oklahoma man vows to fight conviction: MONTAGUE, Texas (AP) -- While former high school homecoming king Randy Wood admits to feeling some guilt for the shotgun slaying of a cheerleader, he says he is not a murderer and doesn't deserve a life sentence.

Aug. 29 -- Mobil pays $56.5 million to feds, Texas to settle oil royalty disputes: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Taking steps to end protracted legal disputes with the federal government and the state of Texas, Mobil Corp. will pay $56.5 million to settle claims it undervalued the oil pumped from public and Indian lands.

Aug. 28 -- Texans blame television, film violence for crime rate jump, annual crime poll shows: HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - Almost half of the Texans questioned in an annual crime poll taken by Sam Houston State University blame television and film violence for causing crime to rise.

Aug. 28 -- Death toll rises as three more bodies are found amid flood devastation: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) - The death toll from this week's devastating floods inched higher Thursday as authorities confirmed finding three more bodies on both sides of the Rio Grande.

Aug. 28 -- Former military members turn to classroom: AUSTIN (AP) - Military veterans are trooping into Texas classrooms, with many of them teaching in areas where the state has had difficulty attracting educators.

Aug. 28 -- Proposal would require more of cities: AUSTIN (AP) - Texas cities looking to increase their tax base through annexation would have to offer targeted areas the same level of some services they enjoy - such as parks, tennis courts and libraries - under proposals adopted by a group of state lawmakers.

Aug. 28 -- Requests for more concrete pouring in, squeezing a tight supply: HOUSTON (AP) - Concrete is hot and the Texas construction boom has put a squeeze on concrete supply, forcing suppliers and manufacturers to expand plants and import cement from other states.

Aug. 28 -- Celtic music draws couple together: VICTORIA, Texas - Barbara and Andy Spear make beautiful music together. Literally.

Aug. 27 -- Governor says White House granted disaster request: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) - Gov. George W. Bush said today the president has granted federal disaster relief to this flood-ravaged city.

Aug. 27 -- Background check for gun purchases worries dealers: This fall, smack in the middle of the year's busiest gun-buying season, the federal government will unveil the first national instant background check system for gun purchases - replacing the mandatory five-day waiting period.

Aug. 27 -- Report: Texas housing chief resigns: DALLAS (AP) - The Texas housing department chief, under fire for failing to spend tens of millions of dollars in federal housing aid and for questionable real-estate deals, is leaving the post, The Dallas Morning News reported today.

Aug. 27 -- Three-judge panel rejects bid to move Love Field suit to Dallas: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Home-field advantage has been decided for now in the Love Field dispute, as the 2nd Court of Appeals refused Dallas' request to transfer Fort Worth's Love Field lawsuit to a Dallas courtroom.

Aug. 27 -- Houston-area mall battle intensifies with lawsuit: HOUSTON (AP) - The battle between two proposed west Houston shopping mall developments has intensified, with one suing to keep the other from starting construction.

Aug. 27 -- Healers take note of what ails musicians: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Pull a hamstring or groin muscle and sports medicine specialists know what to do. But what about the debilitating pain associated with clarinet wrist, trombone elbow or fiddler's neck?

Aug. 27 -- UT law school admits more minorities in 1998: AUSTIN (AP) - Increased recruitment efforts, scholarships and interviews with potential students have boosted the number of blacks and Hispanics at the University of Texas law school. But there are still fewer enrolled than in 1996, when race was taken into consideration.

Aug. 27 -- Crown Central draws record state air pollution fine: HOUSTON (AP) - A Houston-area refinery must pay more than $1 million in fines - a state record for air pollution - in an agreement approved Wednesday by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.

Aug. 27 -- Border cotton farmers face losses due to heavy rain: COLLEGE STATION (AP) - When it rains, it pours. And if this year's blistering drought did not wipe out Texas cotton, torrential rains did. Parts of Uvalde County received more than 15 inches of rain in 10 days and their hopes of a salvageable irrigated cotton crop went down the drain, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service reports.

Aug. 27 -- PUC numbers show possible power shortages for summer 2000: AUSTIN (AP) - Worst-case scenarios could leave Texans in the dark in the summer of 2000, according to the Public Utility Commission.

Aug. 26 -- Rescuers continue to search for bodies in flood-ravaged border city: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) - As flood waters receded Tuesday, camouflage-dressed searchers accompanied by dogs worked their way around muddy, debris-strewn streets to poke through homes looking for bodies.

Aug. 26 -- Woof: Dog owners pay big bucks for canine clone: DALLAS (AP) - A couple who are convinced they have the perfect dog with the perfect bark and the perfect howl are giving $2.3 million to Texas A&M University to clone their beloved Missy.

Aug. 26 -- Crickets invade campus, chase school president out of her home: DENTON, Texas (AP) - The president of Texas Woman's University has been chased from her residence - by crickets.

Aug. 26 -- Reputed marijuana smuggler headed to Texas death chamber for 1988 execution-style slaying: HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) - A reputed marijuana smuggler linked to the killings of at least five people, including a woman who was ground up in a tree chipper, is set for execution Wednesday for gunning down a Dallas-area man who unwittingly interrupted a kidnap scheme 10 years ago.

Aug. 26 -- Hay donations to Texas up to 50 semi-truck loads: WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Enough Kansas hay to fill 50 tractor-trailers has been hauled in from farms across the state as the Kansas National Guard prepares to ship the donations to drought-stricken Texas ranchers.

Aug. 26 -- Deaths of immigrants in Texas heat more than triple 1997 figures: SARITA, Texas (AP) - Carlos Martinez, a manual laborer from Tampico, Mexico, looked like he was dressed for a night of hanging out with friends, not a perilous journey on foot through the dense South Texas brush.

Aug. 26 -- Unused lottery tickets worth more than their prizes to collectors: HOUSTON - Every time the state of Texas inaugurates a new scratch-off lottery game, Dr. Alfred Ricks goes out and buys 200 or 300 tickets. But he's never scratched the paint off one of them to see if he's won a prize.

Aug. 26 -- Judge orders environmental impact statement in pipeline case: AUSTIN (AP) - A federal judge put on hold a company's plans to use a 48-year-old pipeline to ship gasoline across Texas, ordering an environmental impact study sought by ranchers who said they feared the potential effects of a leak.

Aug. 26 -- Police comparing fatal shootings of two truckers in Dallas area: DALLAS (AP) - Police were comparing evidence today to establish whether the same motorcyclist shot two truck drivers to death in separate incidents within a 30-minute span.

Aug. 26 -- High court agrees to hear Ozarka case: AUSTIN (AP) - A battle between rural East Texas landowners and a bottled-water company they contend is draining their wells through a spring pumping operation will be considered by the state Supreme Court.

Aug. 25 -- Major flood hits Texas border area, at least 16 deaths reported: DEL RIO, Texas (AP) - The remnants of Tropical Storm Charley caused flooding that washed away blocks of homes and killed 16 people in drought-stricken South Texas and Mexico. As many as 30 others were reported missing Monday.

Aug. 25 -- Bush unveils education proposal aimed at middle-schoolers living in high-crime areas: HOUSTON (AP) - Gov. George W. Bush on Monday proposed an education program aimed at helping young people who live in high-crime areas make good decisions about school, drugs, alcohol, sex and crime.

Aug. 25 -- Officials seek to prevent immigrant deaths: McALLEN, Texas (AP) - With at least a month of dangerous heat yet to come, U.S. Border Patrol leaders are determined to prevent further immigrant deaths in the Wild Horse Desert.

Aug. 25 -- High-tech industries biggest employer in Texas: RICHARDSON, Texas (AP) - Move over, oil and gas. The high-tech industry is now the biggest employer in Texas.

Aug. 25 -- West Texas broadcaster cultivates colorful Texans for his radio show: FORT DAVIS, Texas - About 30 years ago, Bob Lewis got fired from his radio station job in Big Spring, Texas. So, with typical West Texas optimism, he turned his misfortune into opportunity.

Aug. 25 -- Indian casino left vulnerable by dismissal of lawsuit: EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The Tigua Indians' casino may be in a precarious position again after a judge dismissed a suit aimed at thwarting Gov. George W. Bush's campaign against what he deems illegal tribal gambling.

Aug. 25 -- Same-sex harassment suit goes to court: AUSTIN (AP) - A Texas Department of Transportation worker is suing the agency for sexual harassment, contending he was the target of male-on-male suggestive behavior and retaliation that created a hostile work environment.

Aug. 24 -- Four immigrants drown as Charley's remnants turn roadways treacherous: At least four Mexican immigrants, including two toddlers, drowned Sunday in the Texas Hill Country when a pickup packed with 18 people was swept away by flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Charley.

Aug. 24 -- From presidential spin to death penalty, Texans had influence: AUSTIN - President Clinton's spin doctor, the editor of a New York City newspaper and an executed ax murderer all have something in common. Texas Monthly magazine named them to its annual list of the 20 "most impressive, intriguing and influential Texans."

Aug. 24 -- Williamson County constable charged in computer porn case: AUSTIN (AP) - A Williamson County constable accused of accessing Internet pornography on a government computer faces up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Aug. 23 -- Dozens of protesters picket suspected pigeon shoot: LEWISVILLE, Texas (AP) -- About two dozen animal rights activists protested Saturday outside the Dallas Gun Club, where they believed hunters were shooting pigeons for sport.

Aug. 23 -- Corpus Christi attorney studies 'many roles' of DPS: AUSTIN -- M. Colleen McHugh stood on the banks of the Rio Grande River, overlooking the Mexican border where Texas Department of Public Safety troopers try to stem the flow of illegal drugs.

Aug. 23 -- Despite some floods, Charley brings much-needed rain to Texas: The state's first brush with the tropical storm season left some flooded streets, fallen trees and power outages across southeast Texas Saturday, but it also brought desperately needed rain to drought-stricken ranches and farms.

Aug. 23 -- Texas universities make it on "Best Colleges" list: Rice University stands alone as the only Texas school to make it into U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of the top 50 universities in the nation.

Aug. 23 -- Condemned killer wants to die but can't get court to act on his case: HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Unlike most of his colleagues on the 453-member Texas death row, convicted killer Ted Calvin Cole wants to die.

Aug. 23 -- Sudanese man without a country receives conditional asylum: DALLAS (AP) -- A Dallas immigration judge conditionally approved political asylum for a 25-year-old Sudanese man, noting "horrendous" conditions in Sudan contributed to the U.S. attack on a chemical factory there this week.

Aug. 23 -- Prosecutors seek to keep Angleton's gambling fortune: HOUSTON (AP) -- A wealthy bookmaker who was acquitted this month of plotting his wife's slaying is engaged in yet another legal battle -- this one over his multimillion-dollar gambling fortune.

Aug. 23 -- Judge rules Houston woman may not pursue lawsuit against state: HOUSTON (AP) -- A former banker who was prosecuted for forgery after she found a fake $10,000 lottery ticket on a downtown street may not sue the state for wrongful conviction, an appeals court has ruled.

Aug. 22 -- Gulf of Mexico's first tropical storm of the year bearing down on Texas: Quickly developing Tropical Storm Charley bore down on South Texas shores Friday, promising to give the drought-stricken region much hoped-for wet relief even as coastal residents braced for potential strong winds, high tides and flooding.

Aug. 22 -- Carthage opens doors to new Texas Country Music Hall of Fame: CARTHAGE, Texas (AP) -- Off a two-lane, tree-lined highway winding through East Texas is a white two-story, turn-of-the-century home.

Aug. 22 -- Lawyers trying to repair image: AUSTIN (AP) -- Did you hear the one about the lawyer who was tired of lawyer jokes?

Aug. 22 -- Trucked-in pigeons to be targets in planned Dallas Gun Club shoot: CARROLLTON, Texas (AP) -- The pigeons -- some trapped in cities, some raised from the egg -- are taken by the truckload to the shooting range.

Aug. 22 -- Judge bows out of promotions lawsuit: AUSTIN (AP) -- The judge overseeing a lawsuit against the Waco Independent School District's new student promotions policy on Friday bowed out at the district's request.

Aug. 22 -- Former attorney general battling extradition of Rwandan pastor: LAREDO, Texas (AP) -- Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark says he will fight a federal judge's order that an elderly Rwandan minister accused of genocide be handed over to a United Nations war crimes tribunal.

Aug. 22 -- From presidential spin to death penalty, Texans had influence: AUSTIN (AP) -- President Clinton's spin doctor, the editor of a New York City newspaper and an executed ax murderer all had something in common Friday.

Aug. 22 -- DDT-contaminated dirt headed for Texas: PORT ARTHUR, Texas (AP) -- After unsuccessfully bidding to recycle 3.3 million gallons of napalm, a Port Arthur plant has won a contract to incinerate an unknown quantity of DDT-contaminated soil.

Aug. 22 -- Lottery operator wants information on profits kept from public: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas lotto games have been lucrative for the state lottery's operator. But GTECH Corp. executives want to keep secret exactly how lucrative.

Aug. 22 -- South Texas town mourns seven family members killed in head-on smashup: HEBBRONVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Priliciano Vasquez had just enjoyed his weekly evening of spirituality and fellowship, a ritual for his wife and their large, extended family.

Aug. 21 -- Better economy, efficiency helping to shrink welfare rolls: HOUSTON (AP) - Correcting human error is one of the contributing reasons welfare rolls are dropping statewide and locally, according to state human services statistics.

Aug. 21 -- El Paso County looking to become first in Texas to toss paper ballots: EL PASO, Texas (AP) - El Paso County could become the first in Texas to eliminate paper ballots now that county commissioners have authorized staff members to begin negotiating the purchase of computerized equipment for that purpose.

Aug. 21 -- No major weather changes in store across Texas: Texans can expect more of the same kind of weather tonight and Friday. There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms with temperatures mostly in the 90s.

Aug. 21 -- A class of crickets attracting attention at universities: DENTON, Texas - The bugs have gone to college. Unfortunately, they've died there, too. Anyone living in, or even passing through, Denton County over the past few weeks has certainly noticed the little buggers - crickets and grasshoppers mainly - that have gone from being country dwellers to city folk.

Aug. 21 -- Petition to put prairie dog on endangered list angers some farmers, ranchers: COLORADO CITY, Texas (AP) - For years, rancher Jim McAdams and his farming neighbors fought the good fight against the prairie dogs infesting their lands.

Aug. 21 -- Man gets life in prison for killing Texas TV reporter: BELTON, Texas (AP) - A former neighbor was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison for killing a Waco television reporter.

Aug. 21 -- Texas Digest Briefs: News from around the state

Aug. 20 -- This year's rainless spell the worst since the '50s, researchers say: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The drought of 1998 on Wednesday officially became the worst since the legendary seven-year dry stretch of the 1950s, with university researchers estimating agricultural losses at more than $2.1 billion.

Aug. 20 --Prosecutor lays out evidence that convicted young mother: DALLAS (AP) - The Darlie Routier case was so complex, so thoroughly investigated and produced such a definitive result - the capital murder conviction of the young mother for stabbing one of her sons in June 1996 - it has become a case study for law enforcement officials trying to stop crimes against children.

Aug. 20 -- El Paso mayor gives up free club membership amid ethics debate: EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The mayor has agreed to give up a free country club membership amid an ongoing ethics debate triggered by the revelation that several City Council members have accepted expensive gifts.

Aug. 20 -- Only "unacceptable" Houston-area school district chafes at rating: HOUSTON (AP) - If only the Anahuac Independent School District had two fewer black dropouts, it would have ranked as "recognized" in the state's most recent school accountability ratings.

Aug. 20 -- TEA says biology, algebra scores up: AUSTIN (AP) - Texas students set a record passing rate on the Biology I end-of-course exam this spring, the Texas Education Agency reported today.

Aug. 20 -- Mental patient dies after being attacked by another patient: RUSK, Texas (AP) - Prosecutors will weigh murder charges against a mental patient at the Rusk State Hospital after the man attacked a fellow patient who later died.

Aug. 20 -- Debate over religion leaves one man charged, another possibly blinded: BIG SANDY, Texas (AP) - A 17-year-old says he jumped Russell Scallion, 34, because the man would not stop talking about the devil.

Aug. 20 -- Texas Digest Briefs: News from around the state

Aug. 20 -- Couple indicted in 2-year-old's drinking of drug: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A grand jury has indicted a couple on charges they seriously injured a 2-year-old boy in June when the child drank a soft drink that contained a drug used in date rapes.

Aug. 19 -- Texas Republicans cool to president's confession: WASHINGTON (AP) - As official Washington absorbs President Clinton's confession of an improper relationship with Monica Lewinsky, sifting through the political and personal fallout, Texas Republicans in Congress are giving Clinton little credit for his on-air declaration.

Aug. 19 -- Other Clinton reaction: Excerpts from Texas newspaper editorials on President Clinton's address to the nation about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

Aug. 19 -- Wolf preserve created in Montgomery County: CONROE, Texas (AP) - There's been lots of howling lately in Montgomery County. That's just how Rae Evening Earth Ott likes it.

Aug. 19 -- More students take exam; scores rise: AUSTIN (AP) - More Texas high school graduates took the ACT college entrance exam this year and the average score rose slightly, the Texas Education Agency announced Tuesday.

Aug. 19 -- Man's enchantment with magic leads to locally produced TV special: PHARR, Texas - As a child, Oscar Munoz often was told to stop doing magic tricks because it was against God and the Church.

Aug. 19 -- Texas Digest Briefs: News from around the state

Aug. 19 -- Rate of brain defect births rises in Lower Valley: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) - The incidence of a severe birth defect of newborns' brains is increasing again along the Mexican border, where a cluster in the early 1990s prompted a fruitless search for causes.

Aug. 19 -- State halts start-up funds for school-based clinics: HOUSTON (AP) - Texas taxpayers no longer will provide start-up funds for school-based clinics, the state's health commissioner has decided.

Aug. 18 -- One priest vows to stay on job while information sought on another: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A Catholic priest whose parishioners were reminded of his embezzlement conviction is vowing to stay on the job, while another, who has left the diocese, is the subject of a church investigation.

Aug. 18 -- Study says doctors often misread heart patients' end-of-life decisions: DALLAS (AP) -- Doctors often misjudge whether their heart disease patients want to be resuscitated if their hearts stop, a study found.

Aug. 18 -- Report: State lawmakers fail to make offices accessible: AUSTIN (AP) -- State legislators are operating district offices across Texas that aren't fully accessible to people with disabilities, a violation of state and federal law, the Austin American-Statesman reported Monday.

Aug. 18 -- Hearings scheduled to discuss rural health care: AUSTIN -- State officials are asking for help in determining what rural health-care needs are in Texas.

Aug. 18 -- Man likes his food sunny side up: FORT WORTH, Texas -- It's been said that on some summer days in Texas you can fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Aug. 18 -- Two months after fatal stabbing, family refusing to claim woman's body: HOUSTON (AP) -- The Harris County Medical Examiner's Office has released for burial the body of a woman killed two months ago, but her family has yet to claim it and her father is accused of what may have been a bizarre ritual slaying.

Aug. 18 -- Investigation into bad oysters continuing: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- State health investigators are continuing to investigate the bacterial outbreak that sickened hundreds of Galveston Bay oyster eaters earlier this summer, but there's still no word on when harvesting will resume.

Aug. 17 -- Report: Bush's business partners benefit from state business: HOUSTON (AP) -As Texas Gov. George W. Bush developed the group to buy the Texas Rangers baseball club for $86 million in 1989, he began an association with the businessmen who would figure in many other deals.

Aug. 17 -- Edinburg awarded $13 million from gas company: EDINBURG, Texas (AP) - A jury has awarded a South Texas city more than $13 million, deciding several gas companies either defrauded the city or interfered with the collection of millions of dollars in usage fees.

Aug. 17 -- Somerset gets $267,000 windfall: SOMERSET, Texas (AP) - The town of Somerset is $267,000 richer after no one claimed the cash left in a pickup truck that authorities stopped.

Aug. 17 -- Texas drought has severe after-effects: DALLAS (AP) - Although much of Texas got a break Saturday from the heat, farmers and low-income residents are still trying to deal with the damage caused so far.

Aug. 17 -- Texas' unclaimed property stash auctioned off: AUSTIN (AP) - Texas' big lost-and-found stash is unclaimed no more. More than 900 antique dealers, estate jewelers, collectors and curious onlookers turned out Saturday for this year's Texas Unclaimed Property Auction by the Texas comptroller's office.

Aug. 16 -- Sierra Club renewing legal battle over aquifer: AUSTIN (AP) -- Plummeting levels in the underground aquifer that supplies Texas' largest springs have prompted the Sierra Club to warn a state and a federal agency it will sue to protect endangered fish and other wildlife.

Aug. 16 -- Campaign '98: Party line going online: AUSTIN (AP) -- As the 1998 election year downloads, the party line is going online.

Aug. 16 -- G.E. McDavid, Houston Chronicle president since 1990, to retire next month: HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston Chronicle president G.E. McDavid will retire Sept. 1, ending a 40-year career that began in the newspaper's composing room.

Aug. 16 -- Irving man admits to killing parents, prosecutor says: DALLAS (AP) -- A 19-year-old man admitted to police that he killed his parents, but also gave "some sort of claim of self-defense" in a written statement, a Dallas County prosecutor says.

Aug. 16 -- Texas drought has severe after-effects: DALLAS (AP) -- Although much of Texas got a break Saturday from the heat, farmers and low-income residents are still trying to deal with the damage caused so far.

Aug. 16 -- Waco murder suspect may have ties to 1986 Berlin nightclub bombing: WACO, Texas (AP) -- A suspect in the murder of a Waco man may have ties to the 1986 bombing of a Berlin nightclub by Libyan terrorists, authorities said.

Aug. 16 -- Trio sentenced to four months in jail for stoning dog: HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- Three Harlingen men convicted of stoning a dog have been sentenced to four months in jail, following a national outcry from animal rights groups demanding tough punishment.

Aug. 15 -- More than 50 years later, Montana oilman-rancher finally getting Texas A&M degree: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- Andrew Kelly fought hard to earn the Texas A&M economics degree he's receiving Saturday.

Aug. 15 -- Graham says his case was a soap opera: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- In the Tarrant County Jail, David Graham has plenty of time to look back over his trial and its themes of sex, revenge and murder.

Aug. 15 -- Reward for missing Galveston County woman boosted to over $250,000: LA MARQUE, Texas (AP) -- A year after their then-17-year-old daughter vanished, leaving her pickup truck abandoned along Interstate 45 just north of Galveston, the parents of Jessica Cain on Friday offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to her whereabouts and safe return.

Aug. 15 -- Two-room schoolhouse closes after nearly a century: For the first time in nearly a century, the chalkboards inside the two-room schoolhouse in the sleepy border town of Candelaria, Texas, are blank.

Aug. 15 -- Poor school district loses 600 students to voucher system: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A $50 million voucher program allowing pupils in the poor Edgewood School District to attend private classes was responsible for more than half the 1,100 students who left this year, figures show.

Aug. 15 -- Man who attacked founder of Justice for All up for parole: HOUSTON (AP) -- The man whose attack on the late Pam Lychner and his subsequent lawsuit against her prompted the woman to form the victims' right group Justice for All is up for parole again.

Aug. 15 -- Diocese says bids of Hispanic groups for historic school were too low: DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas Catholic Diocese has told two Hispanic groups that they were outbid in their attempts to buy historic St. Ann's school, which was built in 1927 in an area in Dallas now known as Little Mexico.

Aug. 15 -- Prosecutors will drop charges against mass killing suspect: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Prosecutors plan to dismiss charges against a man arrested in a nightclub shooting spree that killed five people, leaving just one person who could possibly stand trial in one of the city's worst crimes.

Aug. 14 -- Elderly woman's body consumed by pets: MADISONVILLE, Texas (AP) - The body of an elderly woman was apparently eaten by her five pet dogs, said authorities unable to find enough remains to perform an autopsy.

Aug. 14 -- Young FFA members help send hay to drought-stricken Texas: ASHLAND, Mo. (AP) - Teen-age volunteers from Future Farmers of America are helping out Texas ranchers by loading donated hay bales onto trucks bound for the drought-stricken Lone Star State.

Aug. 14 -- Bush thanks firefighters; hay shipments begin: ROUND ROCK, Texas (AP) - Gov. George W. Bush shook hands with about 300 firefighters Thursday, personally thanking them for helping save Texas from a wildfire disaster.

Aug. 14 -- Gay Republicans hold national meeting in Dallas: WASHINGTON (AP) - Undeterred by Texas Republicans' snub of their group at the state GOP convention in June, the nation's largest organization of gay Republicans is holding its annual gathering in Dallas this weekend.

Aug. 14 -- Woman accused of harming children to gain sympathy faces more charges: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A woman accused of harming her children to gain admiration as a devoted mother faces additional federal charges of injury to a child and endangering a child.

Aug. 14 -- Judge withdraws from actor's father's case because of basketball game: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The judge who presided over a three-day hearing into whether Woody Harrelson's father should get a new trial on a murder charge withdrew from the case today because he played basketball with the actor.

Aug. 14 -- State seeking comments on proposed HIV reporting policy: AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas Department of Health is considering a policy that would require health care providers to report the names of people who test positive for the virus that causes AIDS.

Aug. 14 -- LCRA joins call for environmental impact statement: AUSTIN (AP) - Saying the water supply of nearly 1 million Central Texans is at stake, the Lower Colorado River Authority joined the call Thursday for a comprehensive environmental study before a 48-year-old pipeline can be used to ship gasoline across Texas.

Aug. 14 -- Lottery wants details of settlement: AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas Lottery Commission wants to see details of lottery operator GTECH's lawsuit settlement with former agency director Nora Linares.

Aug. 14 -- Judge denies legal block against Waco student promotions policy: WACO, Texas (AP) - A state district judge has refused to temporarily block the Waco Independent School District's new student promotions policy, which is based in part on students' performance on a statewide test.

Aug. 13 -- Texas heat death toll at 128: The death toll from the Texas heat wave hit at least 128 Wednesday, with the U.S. Border Patrol in Webb County confirming the death of a man who was trying to cross into the United States.

Aug. 13 -- New estimates reflect drought's toll on crops: AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas cotton crop is expected to be one of the worst in 20 years. Corn, sorghum and hay aren't far behind, according to estimates released Wednesday by Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry.

Aug. 13 -- Heat wave spurs PUC to ban power cutoffs through September: AUSTIN (AP) - Texans cannot legally have their electricity shut off for nonpayment of bills before the end of September, the state Public Utility Commission decided Wednesday.

Aug. 13 -- Jury finds Houston bookmaker innocent in his wife's slaying: HOUSTON (AP) - A wealthy bookmaker was acquitted Wednesday of recruiting his brother to kill his wife two months after she filed for divorce and went after a share of his multimillion-dollar gambling fortune.

Aug. 13 -- Daughters say suspects in dragging death should be executed: (AP) - The men accused of dragging a black man to his death behind a pickup truck in Texas should be executed, if found guilty, the victims' daughters said.

Aug. 13 -- Auditor: State entities should do more to head off Y2K problems: AUSTIN (AP) - Many state agencies aren't doing enough to prepare for the effect of the Year 2000 computer glitch on equipment with internal microchip devices, such as security systems, fire alarms and elevator controllers, according to a state auditor's review.

Aug. 13 -- Prison officials ready to build 2,000 more solitary confinement cells: AUSTIN (AP) - State prison officials say they need 2,000 more high-security single-inmate cells to house disruptive convicts and prison gang members who belong in solitary confinement.

Aug. 13 -- Some question ethics of basketball game between judge and actor: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A one-on-one basketball game between a federal judge and actor Woody Harrelson, whose father has appeared before the judge seeking a new trial, is not necessarily an ethics foul, legal experts say.

Aug. 13 -- Boeing aerospace operation begins new era at Kelly Air Force Base: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The Boeing Co. formally opened its new aerospace maintenance center at Kelly Air Force Base on Wednesday, marking a milestone in the effort to attract private industry to the closing base.

Aug. 13 -- Records show Fort Worth bishop hired, retained two priests despite convictions: DALLAS (AP) - The Catholic bishop of Fort Worth hired two priests to serve rural counties in the early 1990s and kept them on despite knowing that one was convicted of stealing $120,000 from his parish and the other of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday.

Aug. 13 -- Charter boat operators brace for possible red snapper ban: CLUTE, Texas (AP) - Federal regulators could decide as soon as Friday whether they'll end snapper season for the rest of the year, which would be a crushing blow to many charter boat operators along the Gulf.

Aug. 12 -- Drought likely to severely damage Christmas tree crop in Texas: BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) - Weeks of sweltering temperatures are one thing. When it starts messing up Christmas, now that's serious.

Aug. 12 -- Researcher: Government studies on Gulf War syndrome flawed: DALLAS (AP) - An epidemiologist says three influential government studies that cast doubt on the existence of Gulf War syndrome are seriously flawed.

Aug. 12 -- Slain teen's family to receive $1.9 million from government: EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The federal government will pay $1.9 million to the family of a teen-ager shot to death by a Marine last year on the U.S.-Mexico border, the family's attorney said this morning.

Aug. 12 -- Hutchison promises to seek doubling of funds for Hispanic-serving colleges: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison told a roundtable of college presidents Tuesday she is working to double federal grants for higher education programs with sizable Hispanic enrollment.

Aug. 12 -- Church courts to take action against ministers who perform same-sex marriages: IRVING, Texas (AP) - Pastors who perform same-sex marriages can be brought before church courts and charged with disobedience, the United Methodist Church's highest court ruled today.

Aug. 12 -- Woman faces jail time after allowing fatal teen drinking party: BRAZORIA, Texas (AP) - A Brazoria woman faces up to four years in prison on charges she allowed teen-agers to drink alcohol during a party at her home after which one teen died in a car accident.

Aug. 12 -- Teen-ager bounces back to school after near-fatal accident: SAN ANGELO, Texas - When Chandra Byrd entered Central High School this week amid streams of 10th- through 12th-graders, she was living proof that miracles do happen.

Aug. 12 -- Administrative judge recommends promotions complaint be dismissed: WACO, Texas (AP) - A state administrative law judge has recommended that a complaint against the Waco Independent School District's student promotions policy be dismissed.

Aug. 12 -- Auto insurance assistance program nets coverage offers: AUSTIN (AP) - Nearly 100 Texans who didn't have or could barely afford their auto insurance have been offered better rates through a state program aimed at getting more drivers covered, according to the Texas Department of Insurance.

Aug. 12 -- Funeral regulators spooked by response to investigation: AUSTIN (AP) - Police are investigating a death threat against the state agency that regulates the funeral business.

Aug. 11 -- DPS reports traffic deaths down in 1997: AUSTIN -- Fewer Texans died in traffic accidents in 1997 than the year before, despite warnings that raising the speed limit would bring more fatalities, Texas Department of Public Safety records show.

Aug. 11 -- Jury begins deliberating in murder-for-hire case: HOUSTON (AP) -- One brother sealed his own fate with suicide. The other's now rests with 12 men and women.

Aug. 11 -- Officials say water police are out in full force, making a difference: DALLAS (AP) -- Water police don't have badges and they don't carry guns.

Aug. 11 -- Police hit $4 million jackpot in search of truck: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A patrolman's routine check of a tractor-trailer rig turned into a big payoff when the officer discovered nearly $4 million in suspected drug money hidden inside the truck.

Aug. 11 -- Aerial monitoring to help identify pollution sources: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A pollution-monitoring plane will take flight as early as Wednesday to help scientists further analyze the haze that increasingly has obscured the Big Bend National Park's mountain vistas.

Aug. 11 -- Hereford man rides from New Hampshire to Texas for reunion: HEREFORD, Texas (AP) -- The white line on the side of the road can be quite hypnotic after staring at it nine hours a day for 17 days straight.

Aug. 10 -- Triple-digit heat is back, but possibly not for long: DALLAS (AP) -- Just when you thought it was safe to turn off your air conditioner, temperatures shot past 100 degrees across much of North and Central Texas Sunday. But forecasters say the renewed heat wave could be short-lived.

Aug. 10 -- Texas office-seekers author books on wide range of subjects: DALLAS (AP) -- If Texas' political aficionados are looking for an interesting read, they have plenty to choose from this election year.

Aug. 10 -- Texas Workforce Commission takes over social service agency: TEXAS CITY, Texas (AP) -- The Texas Workforce Commission has taken over a social service agency that doles out state money for day care.

Aug. 10 -- Heat plays havoc with car batteries, tires: DALLAS (AP) -- The last thing Louis Adams needed in the 106-degree heat was a dead battery in his Jeep Cherokee. But that's exactly what he got recently.

Aug. 10 -- Summer heat could mean tough times for hunters: KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Hunting may become another casualty of this unusually hot, dry summer.

Aug. 10 -- First female Southern Baptist senior pastor makes inaugural sermon: WACO, Texas (AP) -- The first woman named senior pastor of a Southern Baptist church in Texas made her inaugural sermon Sunday as about two dozen protestors paced outside.

Aug. 9 -- Department of Public Safety systems at risk, audit says: AUSTIN (AP) -- A state audit warns that Department of Public Safety computers containing driver's license and criminal records are in jeopardy of malfunctioning because officials have not repaired year 2000 programming flaws.

Aug. 9 -- State studies haze over Big Bend to find source of air pollution: ODESSA, Texas (AP) -- The sky over Big Bend is not what it used to be.

Aug. 9 -- Huntsville prison locked down after inmate standoff: HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A Huntsville prison has been locked down for the weekend after an inmate took a guard hostage with a smuggled handgun and held authorities at bay for nearly an hour.

Aug. 9 -- Federal rules may affect organ transplants, donations in Texas: DALLAS (AP) -- Danny Grimes used to smoke a bit, but never enough to make him think it would cost him a lung.

Aug. 9 -- Man sentenced to prison for road rage incident: AUSTIN (AP) -- Tonya Hancock, a 28-year-old stone carver from Austin, was chased in her car and beaten last year after accidentally cutting off a 20-year-old driver with a criminal record.

Aug. 9 -- High-tech police car developed, tested in Texas: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- To the average person, the 1995 black and white Chevrolet Caprice looks like most other Texas Department of Public Safety highway patrol cars.

Aug. 9 -- UTMB seeks high-security virus lab: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A center that would house and test some of this hemisphere's most fearsome viruses could become a reality if a University of Texas Medical Branch proposal materializes.

Aug. 8 -- Methodists' top court considers gay marriages: IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Deep divisions within the United Methodist Church were evident Friday, as the church's top court considered whether to punish pastors who perform gay marriages.

Aug. 8 -- School district contractor found guilty in kickback scheme: DALLAS (AP) -- A former contractor for the Dallas Independent School District was convicted Friday in connection with kickbacks involving unperformed roofing repairs.

Aug. 8 -- Sharp recommends using National Guard to haul hay: AUSTIN (AP) -- State Comptroller John Sharp suggested to state legislators Friday that Texas follow Oklahoma's lead and use the National Guard to transport hay to ranchers whose cattle herds are starving in the drought.

Aug. 8 -- UT Regents' delay of health center decision doesn't faze officials: HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- The decision by University of Texas System regents to put off a decision on where to put a health care training center in the Rio Grande Valley has not fazed officials bidding for the center.

Aug. 8 -- Prison bus crash kills guard, sends 16 inmates to hospitals: CENTERVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A prison guard was killed and 16 inmates were transported to East Texas hospitals Friday after a prison bus careened out of control, turned over and skidded off a two-lane road.

Aug. 8 -- Weeds clogging up river could add to Valley's water shortage: HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- Exotic plants clogging the Rio Grande threaten to push rock-bottom reservoir levels even lower.

Aug. 8 -- Group alleges abuse; prisons deny it: AUSTIN (AP) -- A prisoner advocacy group charged Friday that water was withheld from inmates, personal fans confiscated as punishment and unair-conditioned bus rides have lasted as long as 44 hours.

Aug. 8 -- State auditor says workers need raises: AUSTIN (AP) -- Wages for Texas state government employees have fallen so far behind the booming private sector that most state workers should get two 3.9 percent pay raises, the state auditor says.

Aug. 8 -- Marchers hope four-day trek will rally opposition to radioactive dump: FABENS, Texas (AP) -- The morning was only a few hours old, but the weather already was muggy and warm enough for beads of sweat to form on anti-nuke activist Melissa Barba's face and neck.

Aug. 8 -- When heat appeared in Texas, smoke disappeared: DALLAS (AP) -- In a Texas summer blighted by drought, heat and fire, the suffocating smoke sent northward from Mexican wildfires is now all but forgotten in the distant haze of memory.

Aug. 7 -- Ruling: Technical glitches must halt video conferences: AUSTIN (AP) -- They might not post a sign reading, "Technical Difficulties. Please Stand By."

Aug. 7 -- Feds oppose sale of company doling out Texas welfare benefits: AUSTIN (AP) -- The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit opposing the proposed sale of a company in charge of Texas' electronic welfare system.

Aug. 7 -- Holocaust victims seeking to reclaim old benefits testify at hearing: HOUSTON (AP) -- They came to a place that honors their courage to tell the stories that made them courageous. In return, they hope to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

Aug. 7 -- Corpus Christi officer cracks down on Internet sexual predators: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- A Corpus Christi police sergeant says going undercover on the Internet is similar in many ways to other undercover operations -- but without the disguises.

Aug. 7 -- Supreme Court to hear open records case involving self-help legal books: AUSTIN (AP) -- A publisher of self-help law materials seeking information about a Texas investigation of whether its books and software constitute the unauthorized practice of law will get its day in court.

Aug. 7 -- Texas prison administrators take in nearly $353,000 in federal bounties: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Under a new bounty system, Texas jail administrators have earned nearly $353,000 for helping the federal government discover inmates who are illegally receiving Social Security or welfare benefits.

Aug. 7 -- Rice petitions to escape dated economic philosophy: HOUSTON (AP) -- Rice University, with an endowment of $2.32 billion, wants to go into debt but needs permission of the state to do so.

Aug. 7 -- Historic neighborhood hopes survey leads to better times: GALVESTON, Texas -- Sarah Wilcke has been doing a lot of walking and sightseeing in Galveston lately, but she's not a tourist.

Aug. 7 -- Aid-seekers line up early; could get Washington help: DALLAS (AP) -- Even though the heat wave seems to be breaking, many low-income Texans are looking for help in easing the sting of their skyrocketing electric bills.

Aug. 7 -- Sharp says most records should be open: AUSTIN (AP) -- Government officials don't get in trouble if they do the public's business in public, state Comptroller John Sharp said Thursday.

Aug. 6 -- Doctor, attorney arrested in health-care fraud scheme: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A doctor, an attorney and seven others were arrested Wednesday on charges of operating a health-care fraud scheme that bilked government and private insurers of more than $15 million.

Aug. 6 -- Shipwreck not part of LaSalle fleet: AUSTIN (AP) -- A shipwreck retrieved from Matagorda Bay earlier this year is not the supply ship of 17th-century French explorer La Salle, the Aimable, the Texas Historical Commission said on Wednesday, dashing initial hopes to the contrary.

Aug. 6 -- Defense begins its case in murder-for-hire trial: HOUSTON (AP) -- Attorneys for an ex-bookie accused of hiring his brother to kill his wife launched their defense Wednesday by trying to convince jurors their client's voice is not on a tape recording in which the slaying is discussed.

Aug. 6 -- Heat streak over, but don't break out the party hats yet: DALLAS (AP) -- In what is normally the hottest week of the year, much of Texas was getting its coolest weather in a month Wednesday.

Aug. 6 -- Fisheries service: turtles probably mutilated by sharks: HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- Federal officials declared an end to a marine mystery Wednesday, announcing that 10 mutilated turtles found on the Texas coast were probably victims of sharks, not humans.

Aug. 6 -- Insurance department to hold hearing for Holocaust survivors: HOUSTON (AP) -- Holocaust survivors who live in Texas are expected to testify Thursday before state officials investigating claims that European insurers have refused to honor policies of Jews and others killed by the Nazis.

Aug. 6 -- Authorities find body of Waco man missing 15 months: WACO, Texas (AP) -- Authorities near El Paso have recovered what they believe are the remains of Gary "Pat" Patterson, 15 months after the Waco draftsman flew to West Texas seeking a better life for himself and his young daughter.

Aug. 6 -- Appeal: DA failed to prove Republic leader participated in crime: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Republic of Texas leader Richard McLaren has appealed his organized crime conviction, arguing that prosecutors failed to prove he was directly involved in a kidnapping that sparked an armed standoff.

Aug. 6 -- State takes control of eight nursing homes: DALLAS (AP) -- The Texas Department of Human Services has taken over eight nursing homes following a similar crackdown in two other states against facilities owned by Chartwell Healthcare Inc.

Aug. 6 -- Bomer limits limits on Y2K liability insurance: AUSTIN (AP) -- As government and private business officials brace for the anticipated Year 2000 computer problem, insurance companies are readying themselves for an expected onslaught of related liability lawsuits.

Aug. 5 -- North Texas ends 100-plus streak: DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas resident Jay Eagle was almost wistful as he regarded the overcast skies that helped break the back of the blistering heat wave.

Aug. 5 -- Wildlife also suffering from drought: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- As cattle producers are wondering how to feed their livestock because of drought, wildlife throughout the state are having a difficult time feeding themselves, the Texas Agricultural Extension Service reports.

Aug. 5 -- Health warning issued after second child dies: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A second meningitis death in Texas is blamed on an amoeba-related illness picked up while swimming.

Aug. 5 -- Environmentalists upset with pollution lawsuit dismissal against Crown Central: HOUSTON (AP) -- Environmental activists accused Texas officials Tuesday of "cutting a sweetheart deal" with Crown Central Petroleum Corp. after the state assessed its own penalties against the oil company, prompting a federal judge to dismiss a pollution lawsuit.

Aug. 5 -- Emergency heat aid center overwhelmed by applicants: HOUSTON (AP) -- Hundreds of people -- far more than expected -- showed up Tuesday for a dwindling amount of emergency heat aid, prompting officials to use air-conditioned city buses as waiting rooms and leaving others waiting outside for hours in sweltering heat.

Aug. 5 -- Freedom of Information Foundation names James Madison Award winner: AUSTIN (AP) -- Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock will be honored by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas for working to protect the public's access to information.

Aug. 5 -- Mauro responds to 'beach bum' designation for Texas: AUSTIN (AP) -- Trying to strip Texas of the "beach bum" title conferred by a national group critical of the state's limited monitoring of coastal waters, Land Commissioner Garry Mauro said Tuesday his office will start taking water samples at 10 heavily used Gulf beaches.

Aug. 5 -- Board adopts restrictions, orders reconsideration: AUSTIN (AP) -- The Texas Board of Pharmacy on Tuesday increased oversight of the use of nine generic drugs and then ordered an immediate reconsideration.

Aug. 5 -- Nicaraguan boy becomes U.S. citizen with a dying wish: HOUSTON (AP) -- He was too queasy from chemotherapy treatments to speak. But the weak smile that brightened his face when he was addressed as "fellow American" said it all.

Aug. 5 -- UT officials rein in abuse of corporate credit cards: AUSTIN (AP) -- Three University of Texas System schools are taking action to rein in employees who are abusing their corporate credit cards.

Aug. 4 -- House votes to rename CIA headquarters for George Bush: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House agreed Monday to rename the Central Intelligence Agency's headquarters after George Bush, calling it a fitting tribute to the only president whose resume includes a stint as director of central intelligence.

Aug. 4 -- Cowboy in touch with past enjoys simple life: GUTHRIE, Texas -- Cowboy David Ross is a study in isolation -- in both time and place.

Aug. 4 -- Amarillo expects 1,200 new jobs as city lands Bell tilt-rotor plant: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Bypassing high-tech production capitals like Fort Worth and Houston, Bell Helicopter Textron announced Monday it will return to West Texas to produce the V-22 Osprey in Amarillo.

Aug. 4 -- Angleton jurors hear tape on which slaying is discussed: HOUSTON (AP) -- A tape recording in which two men discuss the slaying of a River Oaks woman, including where in her home to shoot her, was played for jurors Monday at her husband's murder-for-hire trial.

Aug. 4 -- Record number get top marks: AUSTIN (AP) -- A record number of public school districts and campuses getting top marks from the state, and Education Commissioner Mike Moses said Monday the increasingly stringent accountability system is doing its job.

Aug. 4 -- Recovery continues after 230-foot freighter sinks in Houston Ship Channel: HOUSTON (AP) -- Recovery crews on Monday began removing containers filled with hazardous materials from a 230-foot freighter that sank while being loaded in the Houston Ship Channel.

Aug. 4 -- Vaughan Crowned Musician of Decade in Austin: AUSTIN (AP) -- Blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who last month won his second Grammy, has been named musician of the decade in the Austin Music Awards.

Aug. 4 -- Former Air Force Academy cadet claims innocence on national TV: FORT WORTH (AP) -- The former Air Force Academy cadet convicted of capital murder last month in the shooting death of a 16-year-old girl has renewed his claims of innocence in a television interview.

Aug. 4 -- Four more dead of heat; Rain brings relief for some: DALLAS (AP) -- Four more people were added to the statewide heat-related death toll Monday, pushing the total to 103 deaths.

Aug. 3 -- Records show Texas hasn't spent $100 million set aside for housing: DALLAS (AP) -- Texas housing officials might have to return millions of dollars to the federal government after a report found the state has failed to spend more than $100 million in aid intended to help poor families find homes, The Dallas Morning News reported in Sunday's editions.

Aug. 3 -- Derailments at Freeport plant shows sharp jump: FREEPORT, Texas (AP) -- Train derailments at the massive Dow Chemical Co. complex here have increased sharply over the past two years, The Facts newspaper of Brazoria County reported Sunday.

Aug. 3 -- Convicted hit man Charles Harrelson seeks new trial: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Convicted hitman Charles Harrelson will get another crack at freedom when he appears in a federal courtroom Monday.

Aug. 3 -- Attorney general bets on higher earnings, buys $775,000 home: AUSTIN (AP) -- Attorney General Dan Morales' paycheck is not enough to buy a $775,000 home. But Morales is betting on his new career in the investment business to pay the bill.

Aug. 3 -- Family seeking closure for mysterious death 47 years ago: GALVESTON, Texas -- Galveston was the setting for what could be called "The Kluge Drowning Mystery," and for a couple of months in the summer of 1951, everyone was caught in a web spun with filaments of conflict and conspiracy, murder, far-fetched explanations and gossip.

Aug. 3 -- Offshore crime dealt with mostly in-house: HOUSTON (AP) -- Offshore oil workers say assaults are not common on offshore platforms, but when they occur, they leave a victim few options.

Aug. 3 -- 230-foot freighter sinks in Houston Ship Channel: HOUSTON (AP) -- The chemical cargo of a 230-foot freighter was said not to be leaking Sunday after the ship sank while being loaded in the Houston Ship Channel, the Coast Guard said.

Aug. 2 -- Economists say drought costs limited to ag industries, death toll rises: AUSTIN (AP) -- The drought griping Texas doesn't have a stranglehold on the state's economy, according to financial experts.

Aug. 2 -- NASA remembers Alan Shepard, first American in space: SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) -- Six astronauts -- including the four remaining Mercury 7 -- Sen. John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Walter Schirra and Gordon Cooper -- paid tribute Saturday to Alan B. Shepard Jr., who led them all into space.

Aug. 2 -- Disasters show holes in 'Freedom to Farm' law: WASHINGTON (AP) -- When drought or harsh winter weather struck in the past, a federal program stood ready to help cattle producers buy feed and keep their herds together.

Aug. 2 -- Texas czar proposed to watch border: DALLAS (AP) -- Drug czar Barry McCaffrey says he will propose a new, Texas-based coordinator for federal efforts to stem the flow of illegal drugs and immigration along the border with Mexico, according to a report Saturday.

Aug. 2 -- Report: Bell to announce Amarillo as tilt-rotor technology center: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Fort Worth-based Bell Helicopter is set to announce as early as Monday that it will locate its tilt-rotor technology center in Amarillo, according to a published report.

Aug. 2 -- Non-profit group builds house overnight to beat heat: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- To beat the summer heat, the non-profit group Habitat for Humanity built a home from start to finish Friday night and Saturday morning.

Aug. 2 -- Xeriscape saves water, money, enthusiasts say: AUSTIN (AP) -- Feeling soaked by your latest water bill? Tired of trying to salvage the St. Augustine grass?

Aug. 2 -- Democrats take another swing at Bush on nuke dump issue: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas Democrats called on GOP Gov. George W. Bush Saturday to flatly reject a proposed nuclear waste dump in southwest Texas.

Aug. 2 -- Thirsty rodents seek relief from drought: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- They've been spotted scurrying and squeaking in flower beds, swimming pools and water bowls.

Aug. 1 -- Hot July is over, but August probably won't bring relief from heat and drought: The temperature soared beyond 100 degrees all across North Central Texas on Friday, the 26th straight day of triple-digit heat. At 4 p.m., Denton and Sherman were 106 and Dallas was 104.

Aug. 1 -- Regulators close currency trading firm: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas securities regulators and state, county and federal law enforcement officials shut down what they say was a telemarketing boiler room illegally selling foreign currency options only eight blocks from the State Securities Board.

Aug. 1 -- Texans whining about the heat might later turn to wining: PILOT POINT, Texas (AP) -- While water is being rationed in many Texas cities this summer, wine will be flowing freely at the Lone Star State's wineries.

Aug. 1 -- Stubborn fire creeping through Big Thicket National Preserve: SARATOGA, Texas (AP) -- U.S. Forest Service crews arrived Friday to help firefighters try to contain a slow-moving wildfire believed caused by lightning in an extremely remote area of the Big Thicket National Preserve.

Aug. 1 -- Judge rejects all of Cisneros team's motions to dismiss charges: WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal judge has refused to dismiss any of the charges against former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros, who is charged with conspiring to conceal payments to his ex-mistress.

Aug. 1 -- Judge issues temporary injunction against alleged gang members: AUSTIN (AP) -- Five alleged gang members are a public nuisance to an Austin neighborhood and cannot sit, stand, walk, talk or gather in public view there with each other or other supposed members of their gang, a judge has ruled.

Aug. 1 -- District hails summer school program: WACO, Texas (AP) -- More than half of the Waco Independent School District students forced into summer school by a tough new promotions policy have passed and will move on to the next grade level later this year, the school district announced Friday.

Aug. 1 -- Motorists in Harris County to be subjected to remote emissions testing: HOUSTON (AP) -- A van equipped with remote-sensing gear and a video camera is to start making emissions checks of vehicles in Harris County beginning next month to help bring the Houston area in line with federal Clean Air Act rules.

Aug. 1 -- Priest heading home to Ireland after year of fighting allegation: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A priest accused of making sexual advances toward a woman steadfastly denies the allegation and has refused to settle a lawsuit against him, saying he will never admit to something he hasn't done.

Aug. 1 -- British executive sues over fall caused by ham sandwich: HOUSTON (AP) -- A British executive has filed a lawsuit against the city of Houston and an unknown food vendor at Bush Intercontinental Airport because he slipped on the remains of a ham sandwich.