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Jan. 31 -- Morales asks challenges be moved to federal court: AUSTIN (AP) -- Facing a barrage of "wait a minute" complaints, Attorney General Dan Morales asked a federal judge Friday to take over all legal challenges to the state's $15.3 billion tobacco lawsuit settlement.

Jan. 31 -- Man sentenced for plot to blow up Austin IRS office: TYLER, Texas (AP) -- A Tyler man, found guilty of plotting to bomb the Internal Revenue Service office in Austin, has had his sentence reduced by five years.

Jan. 31 -- About $1 million in jewelry reported stolen from billionaire's home: DALLAS (AP) -- Billionaire businessman Harold Simmons has launched a worldwide search for about $1 million in jewelry reported stolen from his home.

Jan. 31 -- Jury to decide custody in pet monkey case: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A woman who put her pet monkey in the care of a wildlife center last year when she thought she was dying of breast cancer now wants the monkey back.

Jan. 31 -- Vegetarian activist says he didn't have agenda on Oprah show: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Vegetarian activist Howard Lyman testified Friday that he didn't have an agenda to get people to stop eating beef when he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey television show in 1996.

Jan. 31 -- Lawmakers looking at reform take aim at campaign report: AUSTIN (AP) -- State House lawmakers charged with examining campaign finance reform took aim Friday at a report examining where they get their own contributions.

Jan. 31 -- Texas A&M-South Texas deal draws criticism from University of Houston chancellor: HOUSTON (AP) -- University of Houston officials are calling for Texas lawmakers and higher education officials to review a new alliance between Texas A&M University and the private South Texas College of Law.

Jan. 31 -- Parole board to announce clemency decision Monday: AUSTIN (AP) -- The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles plans to announce its decision Monday morning on pickax killer Karla Faye Tucker's plea for mercy.

Jan. 30 -- Associate producer discusses screening of Oprah guests: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Research of topics and the screening process of guests on the Oprah Winfrey Show took center stage Thursday in a $10.3 million lawsuit brought by cattlemen against the talk show host.

Jan. 30 -- Zamora says she tried to retract alleged confession: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Former Naval Academy midshipman Diane Zamora says she gave her alleged murder confession only because police promised her a visit with her then-fiance.

Jan. 30 -- 46 Indonesians file lawsuit after flight school closes: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A group of Indonesian students have sued a South Texas flying school, demanding that nearly $800,000 in tuition and housing be refunded.

Jan. 30 -- Gas company may shut off city's service: MAGNOLIA, Texas (AP) -- A Dallas gas company may shut off this small town's service if local officials fail to iron out a contract dispute.

Jan. 30 -- Anti-discrimination ordinance batted down amid controversy: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A proposed ordinance that would have protected homosexuals from discrimination in city employment practices was withdrawn from a City Council agenda Thursday amid a swirl of controversy.

Jan. 30 -- Gunman's body found; other family members' bodies discovered: GRANBURY, Texas (AP) -- The bodies of four slain family members have been discovered in various locations by Hood County authorities.

Jan. 30 -- Parent-taught drivers will get insurance break: AUSTIN (AP) -- Young drivers who complete state-approved, parent-taught driver education courses will be eligible for a 10 percent auto insurance discount, the state insurance commissioner decided Thursday.

Jan. 30 -- Court upholds release of child molesters: AUSTIN (AP) -- Prison officials say they won't just throw open the doors after the Court of Criminal Appeals upheld an earlier ruling that could release dozens of convicted child molesters.

Jan. 30 -- Convicted child killer maintains her innocence: DALLAS (AP) -- It's been a year since Darlie Routier was convicted of killing her sons, but even as she sits on death row, she swears she's innocent.

Jan. 30 -- Man with good side, dark side is sentenced to 40 years in prison: Is it the admitted rapist who broke into houses and who spent 12 years in a state hospital for the criminally insane in Missouri.

Jan. 30 -- Two prison escapees surrender, release hostage unharmed: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Two convicted robbers who escaped from the Nat Neal Prison Unit held a woman hostage Thursday at her home before surrendering peacefully to Amarillo police.

Jan. 30 -- Report says Texas getting tougher on juvenile criminals: AUSTIN (AP) -- The stiffer juvenile crime laws passed by the 1995 Legislature are making an impact, a new report says.

Jan. 30 -- Nearly half of Texans support execution of Karla Faye Tucker, poll shows: HOUSTON (AP) -- Nearly 50 percent of Texans surveyed believe pickax murderer Karla Faye Tucker should be executed next week, a Houston Chronicle poll shows.

Jan. 29 -- New anti-pollution proposal announced for Texas: HOUSTON (AP) -- Texas officials hope that what reduces pollution in the state's biggest cities will also work in the eastern half of the state.

Jan. 29 -- Former senator Alan Simpson says Clinton has sex addiction: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- President Clinton needs to admit he has a sex "compulsion" and should consider entering a program to combat the addiction, former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson says. Newspaper clarifies retracted report on Clinton

Jan. 29 -- Smith attacks Clinton's border policies: WASHINGTON (AP) -- A couple of sentences in President Clinton's 75-minute State of the Union speech were enough to raise the ire of Texas congressman Lamar Smith.

Jan. 29 -- Stolen plastic explosives reported discovered in abandoned car: CLUTE, Texas (AP) -- Army officials are trying to determine if plastic explosives found in a junked car in Clute are the same ones reported missing from Fort Hood a year ago.

Jan. 29 -- Clients sue attorney for continued fight to claim additional legal fees: HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston attorney is being sued by 21 of his clients unhappy over his continued fight to claim $108 million in legal fees in their case.

Jan. 29 -- Foreclosures tougher under state equity loan proposal: HOUSTON (AP) -- Rules recommended by the Texas Supreme Court will make it more difficult for lenders to foreclose on residents who default on their home-equity loans.

Jan. 29 -- 'Legitimate' telemarketers pledge to help committee: SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) -- Legitimate telemarketers need to do more to extol the benefits of their service and ferret out bad actors in the business, an industry attorney said Wednesday.

Jan. 29 -- $103,000 in cancer kid fund will be made available to others: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- About $103,000 raised for a 13-year-old cancer patient who died before he could receive a bone marrow transplant will be used to help other children with cancer, a judge has decided.

Jan. 29 -- Judge unseals files of 'private eye': SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- A judge on Wednesday allowed prosecutors to unseal the secret files of a private investigator hired to gather information on Shelia Bellush days before she was slain with her quadruplets nearby.

Jan. 29 -- Attorney, expert clash in 'Oprah' show: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- A mad cow disease expert showed jurors Wednesday why Oprah Winfrey's editors cut most of his long-winded remarks from a program that spawned her beef defamation trial, a defense attorney said.

Jan. 29 -- Condemned woman loses latest bid to halt execution: AUSTIN (AP) -- The state's highest criminal court Wednesday denied pickax killer Karla Faye Tucker's latest bid to halt her execution, now less than a week away.

Jan. 29 -- Dad gets six months in jail for killing baby: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The mother of a 10-week-old twin who died after his angry father slammed him into a car seat is upset that her estranged husband received only a six-month jail term.

Jan. 29 -- Heroin use rising, but cocaine still rules: AUSTIN -- Cocaine is still the top illegal drug problem in Texas, but heroin use is rising, according to a Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse report released Wednesday.

Jan. 28 -- State took boy from home before his death because of abuse: DALLAS (AP) -- Child Protective Services is reviewing its handling of a case involving a 2-year-old boy found beaten to death and buried in a shallow grave last week, an agency spokeswoman said.

Jan. 28 -- Jury seated in case of cadet accused of murder: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A seven-man, five-woman jury was seated Tuesday for the capital murder trial of a former Naval cadet accused in a deadly love triangle.

Jan. 28 -- Jail inmates annoying public with random collect calls: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Even though they're behind bars, El Paso County Jail inmates are managing to reach out and touch someone.

Jan. 28 -- Jimmy Carter not talking about Clinton scandal: HOUSTON (AP) -- Former President Jimmy Carter, who once admitted to having lusted for women other than his wife, said Tuesday he had no comment about claims that President Clinton had sex with a White House intern.

Jan. 28 -- Group says it wants public school choice plan to work; critics doubtful: AUSTIN (AP) -- A group that has backed taxpayer-funded private school tuition for students who can't otherwise escape low-performing public schools is contacting principals and may take out ads promoting a school transfer program.

Jan. 28 -- Clinton faces critical State of the Union address, Texans say: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Amid the firestorm of allegations that he had sex with a White House intern and then tried to cover it up, President Clinton steps into the House chamber Tuesday night to deliver what's sure to be the most closely watched State of the Union address of his career.

Jan. 28 -- House committee targets telemarketing fraud: AUSTIN (AP) -- Faced with thousands of complaints from annoyed Texans, some lawmakers are searching for better ways to control telemarketers.

Jan. 28 -- Insurance group recommends slight property benchmark increase: AUSTIN (AP) -- An insurance industry group is urging state officials to slightly increase a key factor in the cost of property insurance.

Jan. 28 -- Blaze damages part of historic Spanish mission: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A fire that swept through part of a 300-year-old Spanish mission once defended by Texas independence fighters James Bowie and James Fannin caused only minimal damage to its sanctuary.

Jan. 28 -- Former USDA official slams Oprah show: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- A former government expert on mad cow disease who appeared on an Oprah Winfrey program about dangerous foods testified in her beef defamation trial Tuesday that he felt "ambushed" during the show.

Jan. 28 -- Officials examining nursing home rules: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas officials are seeking to change rules that currently allow nursing homes shut down by the state to maintain ownership of their taxpayer-funded Medicaid beds and sell them to a new operator for profit.

Jan. 28 -- TYC director says arrest of 17-year-old parolee for smoking was absurd: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- The arrest of a 17-year-old parolee has led a state lawmaker to say Texas' new tobacco law was never intended to jail young smokers.

Jan. 28 -- Consumer groups call for tougher campaign finance laws: AUSTIN -- Area state Reps. David Counts and Rob Junell were among the top 10 House members who raised the most money for the 1996 election, according to a new study released Monday.

Jan. 27 -- Cattleman says second show not enough to halt beef price plunge: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - A second show by Oprah Winfrey on the potential threat of mad cow disease wasn't enough to undo damage caused by her first show, a cattleman testified Monday in the talk show host's defamation lawsuit.

Jan. 27 -- Ex-death row woman says Karla Tucker should be spared: GATESVILLE, Texas (AP) - Linda May Burnett, convicted in a heinous crime that left five people dead, thinks Karla Faye Tucker should live.

Jan. 27 -- Jury selection begins in case of cadet accused of murder: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Some of the stories about the alleged murder of a 16-year-old girl by two former military cadets have been more fiction than fact, a prosecutor told potential jurors Monday.

Jan. 27 -- Federal government looking at Texas work: AUSTIN (AP) - The federal government is watching a Texas effort to achieve diverse student bodies at its universities after a court ruling against affirmative action, a U.S. Department of Education official said Monday.

Jan. 27 -- Dole in Houston: No comment on Clinton sex allegations until all facts exposed: HOUSTON (AP) - Former Sen. Bob Dole refused Monday to get drawn into the debate over allegations of sexual impropriety involving Bill Clinton, who defeated him in the 1996 presidential election.

Jan. 27 -- Texas researchers studying aging in space: AUSTIN (AP) - Texas scientists researching ways to stop or minimize the bone and muscle loss of humans in space are hoping to learn from John Glenn's second ride around the Earth this fall.

Jan. 27 -- Central Texas couple saves rainwater for retirement home: AQUILLA, Texas - When Corpus Christi schoolteachers Charles and Linda Bottoms pitched a tent on their newly-purchased 25 acres just outside Aquilla in Hill County five years ago, there were a few details they had yet to learn.

Jan. 27 -- Turtle ranch has become hospice for tortoises: SAN MARCOS, Texas (AP) - When Francis Rose built the "turtle ranch" to study Texas tortoises five years ago on a stretch of rugged, cactus-filled acreage owned by Southwest Texas State University, he smiled patiently at all the jokes.

Jan. 26 -- When will Oprah testify? No one's saying: AMARILLO - Oprah Winfrey has made her name interviewing others. When she'll become an interviewee on the witness stand is the lingering question as her beef defamation trial grinds into a second week.

Jan. 26 -- Maroon carrots to be sold in Houston: COLLEGE STATION (AP) - The Aggies have finally conquered the vegetable stand. Maroon carrots developed by Texas A&M University will be commercially sold for the first time this week at select stores in Houston.

Jan. 26 -- Mystery still surrounds last woman executed in Texas: AUSTIN (AP) - History may be proving kinder to Chipita Rodriguez than her neighbors were. After all, San Patricio County authorities hanged her from a mesquite tree and buried her in a shallow grave.

Jan. 26 -- Neurosurgeon rides away from stresses: BEAUMONT, Texas - Turn left off Major Drive and you enter a different world. The blue-gray sky seems endless. Houses aren't separated by fences, but by furlongs. You find yourself wanting faded jeans and a pair of beat-up boots.

Jan. 26 -- For these families, nothing is too good for their pets: WACO, Texas - She has her own fancy sofa. She has a floor lamp with a silk shade. She has perfume and sterling silver and crystal necklaces. She is the epitome of canine chic. Meet Sugar, a 1-year-old Maltese who has it made in the shade.

Jan. 26 -- Houston's Meyerland Center is a place for serious table tennis: HOUSTON - The Houston Table Tennis Center is hidden in a metal building behind a car wash and a veterinarian's clinic in the southwest Houston suburb of Meyerland.

Jan. 26 -- A rite with ancient roots helps a youngster steer a steady course on life's voyage: DALLAS - On the eve of his 13th birthday, Marcus Solomon walks slowly down the aisle at St. Luke Community United Methodist Church. Drums are beating softly, the thump-thump-thump rhythm filling the sanctuary. His mother, Driselda, leads the way. His father, Marion, follows close behind. The Rev. Zan Holmes waits at the altar. And in the pews, more than 150 relatives, classmates, spiritual guides and teachers watch the youngster make his way to the pulpit. This is Marcus' march to manhood.

Jan. 25 -- Bush outdoing Mauro in raising funds, reports show: AUSTIN (AP) -- Republican Gov. George W. Bush raised more money from out-of-state sources in the last six months than Land Commissioner Garry Mauro raised from all sources, according to computer analysis of the two men's recent campaign finance reports.

Jan. 25 -- Crude prices at four year low: bad news for producers, good news for consumers: HOUSTON (AP) -- With crude oil futures reaching a four-year low, oil producers are taking a loss as consumers reap the benefits.

Jan. 25 -- After winning acquittal, Mowbray family plans to go on with life: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- For 10 years, Susie Mowbray was either in prison or fighting to stay out. Now she has begun living a life of freedom after being acquitted on charges of killing her husband.

Jan. 25 -- Judge approves judgment in priest's sexual abuse case: DALLAS (AP) -- A judge has approved most of the landmark sex-abuse judgment against the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, which could spark more settlement talks and a possible bankruptcy filing.

Jan. 25 -- Hundreds rally against abortion: AUSTIN (AP) -- Hundreds of abortion foes rallied at the Capitol Saturday, commemorating the 25th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and promising that the fight to overturn the landmark abortion ruling is not over.

Jan. 25 -- Crews clean up second spill in the Gulf: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A second oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, within 20 miles of a ruptured pipeline that spewed thousands of barrels of oil into the ocean, kept crews busy Saturday.

Jan. 25 -- Tucker's execution raises debate about clemency, gender: HOUSTON (AP) -- The first thing you notice about the tool is how heavy it is -- maybe 15 or 20 pounds.

Jan. 25 -- Wife convicted in Zilker shooting: AUSTIN (AP) -- A woman accused of hiring three teen-agers to kill her husband in December 1996 was found guilty of capital murder by a jury and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Jan. 24 -- More than 2,600 campuses win awards for student performance: AUSTIN (AP) -- Nearly four of every 10 Texas public school campuses have won cash awards for student performance.

Jan. 24 -- AG: Eight liners unconstitutional: AUSTIN (AP) -- Casino-style machines known as "eight-liners" are unconstitutional, Texas Attorney General Dan Morales ruled in a legal opinion Friday.

Jan. 24 -- Defendant found innocent in husband's 1987 death: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A woman imprisoned nine years before winning a new trial in the death of her husband was found innocent of murder Friday, ending a decade-long crusade to prove he killed himself.

Jan. 24 -- Norplant contraceptive cases ends in mistrial: EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- A state district judge on Friday declared a mistrial in the first of thousands of lawsuits over the Norplant contraceptive after one plaintiffs' attorney argued that another lawyer asked his client to lie.

Jan. 24 -- Plaintiffs hammer of Oprah outtakes: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Cattlemen who believe a 1996 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show unfairly portrayed the risks of U.S. beef and mad cow disease used a few high-tech tricks of their own in court Friday.

Jan. 24 -- Convicted stalker arrested in Houston for kidnapping Utah child; search on for child: HOUSTON (AP) -- Federal agents said Friday they had been unable to find a missing 2-1/2-year-old Utah girl despite arresting a man accused of kidnapping her and suspected of killing the girl's mother last month.

Jan. 24 -- Veterinarian credited with stopping screwworm reinfestation: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A veterinarian who found screwworms in a basset hound has been credited with preventing a reinfestation of the pest that cost U.S. ranchers hundreds of millions of dollars before it was controlled.

Jan. 23 -- Board hears of new efforts to boost minority enrollment: AUSTIN (AP) -- Still trying to counter the effects of a 1996 court ruling against considering race in university admissions, officials are looking at decreasing reliance on the Law School Admission Test and calling on students headed to out-of-state schools to change their minds.

Jan. 23 -- Morales, lawmakers haggle over flow of settlement funds: AUSTIN (AP) -- In a bow to Texas lawmakers, Attorney General Dan Morales on Thursday said he's making minor changes to the state's $15.3 billion tobacco settlement to allow all of the funds to flow through the Texas Legislature.

Jan. 23 -- Judge finishes screening jurors; jury selection to begin Monday: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Jury selection will begin Monday in the first capital murder trial stemming from an alleged love triangle involving two former military academy students, the judge announced Thursday.

Jan. 23 -- Cloned calves shy in media spotlight: FRANKLIN, Texas (AP) -- Charlie and George have joined the world of reluctant celebrities.

Jan. 23 -- Mayor Brown considering consulting HUD for help in relocating displaced downtown residents: HOUSTON (AP) -- More than 100 low-income people who have lived near downtown Houston for decades are facing eviction because they don't seem to fit in with the area repackaging itself as a hip, new place to be.

Jan. 23 -- Jury begins deliberations in Mowbray retrial: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A woman once given a life sentence for her husband's 1987 death collapsed into tears and screamed, "I didn't do it! Please don't let them do this to me again!" minutes before jurors began deliberating at her capital murder retrial Thursday.

Jan. 23 -- Plaintiff's son first to take stand in Oprah case: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Although there's never been a case of mad cow disease reported in this country, the risk cannot be considered nonexistent, the son of a man suing Oprah Winfrey testified Thursday.

Jan. 23 -- KWTX-TV reporter found slain: TEMPLE, Texas (AP) -- Police were questioning a man found covered in blood Thursday in the apartment of a slain Central Texas television reporter.

Jan. 23 -- Karla Faye Tucker asks for clemency: AUSTIN (AP) -- With her scheduled execution less than two weeks away, pickax killer Karla Faye Tucker on Thursday asked for clemency.

Jan. 22 -- No big revelations in first day after opening of George Bush Library: HOUSTON (AP) -- In a handwritten message to President Reagan in September 1990, then-Vice President George Bush wrote at the end of a "Dear Ron" note about a death in Bush's family: "I'm back now, ready to wrestle Saddam to the ground."

Jan. 22 -- Jury gives joint custody in battle between two women: DENTON, Texas (AP) -- A jury has given joint custody of a 5-year-old girl to her birth mother and a former same-sex companion who helped raise the child for four years.

Jan. 22 -- High school OKs same-sex dates for prom: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Same-sex couples who were forbidden from attending a high school prom will be allowed to go following a challenge by two female homosexual students.

Jan. 22 -- Judge delays ruling on tobacco settlement: TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge overseeing the $15.3 billion settlement between Texas and the tobacco industry on Wednesday delayed his decision on the case and lawyer fees.

Jan. 22 -- Denton County commissioners pass anti-abortion resolution: DENTON, Texas (AP) -- Denton County commissioners marked the 25th anniversary of the landmark Roe vs. Wade decision by going on the record against abortion.

Jan. 22 -- Proposed West Texas nuke dump approaching final hurdle: SIERRA BLANCA, Texas (AP) -- Groups that have sparred for years over the location and safety of a proposed state radioactive waste dump finally got a chance to make their arguments count today.

Jan. 22 -- Deputies round up about 200 stray emus, ponder what to do with them: WEATHERFORD, Texas (AP) -- Rounding up about 200 of the estimated 400 stray emus believed to be roaming Parker County may have been the easy part for the county's deputies.

Jan. 22 -- Forensics expert says Mowbray's death more likely a suicide: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A Brownsville Cadillac dealer was more likely the victim of a suicide than a homicide, a forensics expert testified Wednesday as the defense rested in the murder retrial of the man's widow.

Jan. 22 -- Oprah jurors watch episode in question: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Jurors who will decide whether Oprah Winfrey's on-air remarks caused beef prices to plummet watched edited and uncut versions of the episode in question Wednesday.

Jan. 22 -- Faith healer sentenced for raping 16-year-old girl: HOUSTON (AP) -- A faith healer who told a 16-year-old girl the only way she could rid herself of a curse was to have sex with him has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Jan. 22 -- Sharp proposes merit scholarships for college tuition: AUSTIN (AP) -- State Comptroller John Sharp says Texas can afford to pay college tuition and fees for all of its native college students.

Jan. 21 -- Attorneys' fees, disbursements sore subjects and result in motions: TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) -- While the state awaited a federal judge's final approval of its $15.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry, several outsiders on Tuesday began trying to crash the deal.

Jan. 21 -- Jury selection begins in former midshipman's capital murder case: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A judge today began questioning potential jurors for Diane Zamora's capital murder trial in an attempt to find a panel that had not formed an opinion on the former midshipman's guilt or innocence.

Jan. 21 -- Health professionals punished for not paying back student loans: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumers can check the Internet to find out if their doctors and other health care providers are among more than 1,400 who have defaulted on federally insured student loans.

Jan. 21 -- Proposed West Texas nuke dump approaching final hurdle: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- The battle lines over a proposed state radioactive waste dump were drawn years ago, but only now are opponents getting a chance to take their case directly to the people who matter.

Jan. 21 -- Gramm travels Texas touting tax plan: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas highways in need of repair and expansion could get a boost of more than $1.9 billion in additional federal dollars under a proposal being touted by U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.

Jan. 21 -- New health school designed to help rural residents: KILLEEN, Texas (AP) -- Rural residents may one day have access to improved health care thanks to the College of Medicine at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.

Jan. 21 -- Jurors selected in trial pitting Oprah, cattle industry: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- A jury of eight women and four men was selected Tuesday in the multi-million-dollar defamation case pitting Texas cattlemen against talk show queen Oprah Winfrey. Lawsuit will test legality of food libel laws

Jan. 21 -- Banker: Mowbray vowed to kill himself just days before death: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A banker testified Tuesday that Brownsville Cadillac dealer Bill Mowbray pleaded with him for a loan just days before his 1987 death and vowed to commit suicide if he didn't get the money.

Jan. 21 -- Condemned woman seeks to block execution: AUSTIN (AP) -- Acknowledging her guilt but pleading for mercy, Karla Faye Tucker's lawyers Tuesday asked the Court of Criminal Appeals to block the pickax killer's pending execution, which would be the first of a Texas woman since the Civil War.

Jan. 21 -- North, Northeast Texas reach water agreement: DALLAS (AP) -- The Dallas-Fort Worth area will receive water from two reservoirs not yet built in Northeast Texas under an agreement that guarantees the two cities an adequate water supply through most of the 21st century.

Jan. 20 -- Lawmakers, political candidate want say in spending of tobacco settlement money: AUSTIN (AP) - A Republican seeking to replace Attorney General Dan Morales is the latest to say he's suing the state's top lawyer over Texas' $15.3 billion settlement with the nation's tobacco industry.

Jan. 20 -- Martin Luther King Day marked in Texas with parades, public service: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Navy Secretary John Dalton hit the beach at Galveston on Monday to help clean up litter, saying the holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King should not be just another day off.

Jan. 20 -- Texas cattlemen take their beef with Oprah to court: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - You don't have to look - or smell - too long to realize Amarillo is in the heart of Texas cattle country. This is a place of majestic ranches, pungent feedyards and real-life cowboys.

Jan. 20 -- UT scientists find ally in war against fire ants: AUSTIN (AP) - Fire ants - how do you stop them? For years, scientists have been coming up with pesticides and chemical treatments, but to any Texan with a back lawn, it's obvious who is winning. Now, several scientists at the University of Texas are playing benefactor to insect allies - flies that feed on the ants.

Jan. 20 -- Jury selection in Zamora case begins Tuesday: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - "Just do it!" That was Diane Zamora's December 1995 command for her then fiance to kill a pretty high school rival who had come between the teen-age lovers, according to her statement to police.

Jan. 20 -- Bald eagles return to North Texas: DENISON, Texas (AP) - Birdwatchers are flocking to Lake Texoma and the Red River to marvel at the winter return of the American bald eagle.

Jan. 20 -- Re-enactment group celebrate history of mountain life: SAN ANGELO, Texas - Take an unlikely turn off Highway 163, following the scent of the river toward a brush-covered ridge in Irion County, and you might find them: the mountain men.

Jan. 20 -- Commission appeals to Bush to repair damaged Rayburn house: BONHAM, Texas (AP) - The Texas Historical Commission has asked Gov. George W. Bush for more money to restore the landmark Sam Rayburn House after a December fire.

Jan. 20 -- Austin police trying to improve truck safety: AUSTIN (AP) - While fatalities involving 18-wheelers have increased statewide, Austin police officers say inspections they are doing on Interstate 35 are helping to improve truck safety.

Jan. 19 -- Tobacco settlement still has several unresolved issues: AUSTIN - Despite the hoopla surrounding the announcement of a $15.3 billion settlement between Texas and Big Tobacco, there are still speed bumps along this tobacco road. Texas Attorney General Dan Morales announced late Friday that Texas was the third state to settle its lawsuit against eight tobacco companies and three trade groups.

Jan. 19 -- Young mother born with no legs and only one arm lives full life: ORANGE - In 1959, Bonnie Buxton was so stunned after the birth of her daughter, Terrilee, that for a time she hoped the infant would not live, she said.

Jan. 19 -- Prison abuse allegations leads to several lawsuits: ANGLETON (AP) - Last year's videotape of an inmate shakedown at the Brazoria County Detention Center might win the vote of Missouri attorneys Sylvester James or Craig Heidemann for 1997 "Picture of the Year."

Jan. 19 -- More welfare recipients seeing checks docked for non-complaince: HOUSTON (AP) - As promised, thousands of Texas welfare checks are getting smaller. By last month, 14,555 adult welfare recipients statewide were under penalty of sanctions, more than triple the number under sanctions a year earlier, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday.

Jan. 19 -- Original 'Roe' forms new ministry to help pregnant women: DALLAS (AP) - Her name wasn't Roe. It was McCorvey. Norma McCorvey. She didn't want an abortion. By the time the Supreme Court ruled on her case - in the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion - she had delivered and given up her baby, a daughter, for adoption years earlier.

Jan. 19 -- The 99-year-old man who learned to read: DALLAS - The old man who could not read lives alone in a house that is small and square and in a part of the city some people call the ghetto. George Dawson, the grandson of a slave, was born in a three-room log cabin in Marshall, on Jan. 18, 1898. He was 8 when he had his first job, feeding hogs and cattle. He was 12 when his daddy rented him out to a white man.

Jan. 19 -- Soldier custom builds instruments at home shop: HARKER HEIGHTS, Texas - If Mike Carter could have his wish, he'd build guitars by day and play them by night.

Jan. 19 -- Houston artist brings past presidents to life: HOUSTON -Don't tell the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., but Houston has its own Hall of Presidents. Housed in a spacious warehouse just north of downtown, Houston artist David Adickes has created 10-foot tall, strikingly real heads of all 41 U.S. presidents.

Jan. 18 -- Tobacco's loss is M.D. Anderson's $100 million gain: HOUSTON (AP) -- Talk about your unexpected windfalls. About $100 million of the tobacco industry's $15.3 billion settlement with the state of Texas has been earmarked for one of the nation's premier cancer centers: Houston's M.D. Anderson.

Jan. 18 -- Columbia, hospital hit with huge verdict: HOUSTON (AP) -- A hospital and health care giant Columbia/HCA must pay a Houston couple $42.9 million for refusing their request that their brain-damaged premature baby not be kept on life support, a jury has decided.

Jan. 18 -- Cuomo proposes 33 percent increase in FHA insurance limit: DALLAS (AP) -- The Clinton administration will press Congress to increase federal mortgage insurance limits by at least a third in an effort to make homes more available to middle-income Americans, Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.

Jan. 18 -- Texan to oversee Oklahoma City memorial construction: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- The superintendent of Padre Island National Seashore has been chosen to oversee the building of a memorial where the the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood.

Jan. 18 -- Man agrees to rabies shots after bite by neighbor's pet monkey: SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- A man bitten by a neighbor's monkey has changed his mind and agreed to undergo rabies vaccinations.

Jan. 18 -- Starr County indictments long overdue, some residents say: RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (AP) -- In a remote slice of brush country along the Rio Grande, wealth and poverty meet at the edge of a two-lane highway cutting across Starr County.

Jan. 18 -- Unlicensed pathologist performed autopsies from other counties: HOUSTON (AP) -- Harris County officials are trying to determine how many, if any, autopsies were performed for other counties by an unlicensed pathologist.

Jan. 17 -- Texas settles lawsuit with Big Tobacco: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas will get $15.3 billion from the tobacco industry to settle its lawsuit over smoking-related health care costs with $725 million being paid upfront, it was announced Friday. Tobacco Settlements-Glance

Jan. 17 -- Washington pols praise Texas tobacco settlement; others more guarded: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Some politicians applauded Texas' settlement of its lawsuit against Big Tobacco for $14.5 billion, but others predicted the record agreement Friday would further complicate congressional passage of a national pact.

Jan. 17 -- Tobacco settlement Morales' biggest win: AUSTIN (AP) -- The biggest settlement in the legal assault on Big Tobacco was led Friday by a youngish politician who's leaving public office at the top of his game.

Jan. 17 -- Two killed in collision with police patrol car: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- An elderly woman and her son have died from injuries suffered when their car was struck broadside by a police patrol car responding to a call.

Jan. 17 -- Investigation launched into claims unlicensed doctor performed autopsies: HOUSTON (AP) -- Harris County District Attorney John B. Holmes Jr. confirmed Friday his office is investigating allegations an unlicensed pathologist performed autopsies without supervision. The problem, he says, is figuring out if a crime was committed at all.

Jan. 17 -- School fund contracts will go ahead: AUSTIN (AP) -- Private money managers will begin handling $2.5 billion of Texas' public school trust fund despite objections Friday from some State Board of Education members who say irregularities warrant another look at the new contracts.

Jan. 17 -- Couple gets 428 pounds of catalogs in a year: AUSTIN (AP) -- Talk about mail stacking up.

Jan. 17 -- Auditor: Prisons' managed health care cuts costs: AUSTIN (AP) -- The cost of providing medical care for Texas prisoners has dropped $277.40 per inmate per year since 1993, according to State Auditor Lawrence Alwin.

Jan. 17 -- Lifer for robbery captured six months after mistaken release: DALLAS (AP) -- A man serving four life sentences for several Fort Worth-area armed robberies was free for six months because of a computer foul-up at a Dallas County jail.

Jan. 17 -- Houston mayoral elections sets record for spending: HOUSTON (AP) -- Houston's high-profile mayor's race, which resulted in the election of the city's first black mayor, also was a landmark one for spending.

Jan. 17 -- Tucker meets with Bianca Jagger and other Amnesty International officials: GATESVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Bianca Jagger and Amnesty International have joined the cause of Texas death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker, who is scheduled to be the first woman executed in the state since the Civil War.

Jan. 16 -- State agrees to settlement with tobacco industry: DALLAS (AP) -- Texas officials agreed Thursday to a settlement of at least $14 billion to end the state's lawsuit against the tobacco industry, a source who requested anonymity told The Associated Press.

Jan. 16 -- Board agrees to accept surrender of charter: AUSTIN (AP) -- One of Texas' first 20 proposed charter schools will surrender its contract after getting more than $240,000 from the state without opening its doors under preliminary action Thursday by the State Board of Education.

Jan. 16 -- Board to consider contribution restrictions or disclosure: AUSTIN (AP) -- As the State Board of Education reviews its hiring of nine outside money managers to handle $2.5 billion of the state's public school trust fund, the chairman is predicting stricter guidelines on campaign contributions received by board members from such interests.

Jan. 16 -- Study says livability vital to growth: AUSTIN (AP) -- A new study of fast-growing Austin says the city needs to focus on the businesses it has rather than seeking more if it wants to continue its economic success and preserve its livability.

Jan. 16 -- Former mistress of one-time HUD secretary pleads guilty to fraud: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros' ex-mistress confessed Thursday to counts related into a special prosecutor's investigation, agreeing to serve 3-1/2 years in prison rather than stand trial.

Jan. 16 -- Pathologist testifies that Mowbray did not kill himself: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A Brownsville Cadillac dealer died by someone else's hand and not his own, a pathologist testified Thursday as prosecutors wrapped up their case in the retrial of Susie Mowbray.

Jan. 16 -- Early monitoring may help pregnant women avert cardiovascular complications: DALLAS (AP) -- Women who track their blood pressure soon after learning they're pregnant may be able to avert high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia, according to a report released Thursday in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

Jan. 16 -- Insurance commissioner orders discounts: AUSTIN (AP) -- The dreadful chore of replacing a roof now comes with a benefit: Texas Insurance Commissioner Elton Bomer on Wednesday ordered insurers to give homeowners discounts up to 35 percent for replacing old, damaged roofs with new, hail-resistant roofs.

Jan. 16 -- Condemned woman expected to file constitutional challenge: AUSTIN (AP) -- Denied on all previous appeals, condemned killer Karla Faye Tucker says she will challenge the process by which Texas death row inmates can seek to have their sentences reduced to life in prison.

Jan. 16 -- Execution date set for second woman on Texas death row: HOUSTON (AP) -- Condemned killer Erica Sheppard received an execution date Thursday for April 20, making her the second female Texas death row inmate to have a date with the executioner's needle.

Jan. 16 -- Study shows Texas ranks low in higher education: AUSTIN (AP) -- Getting a college degree could be worth more than $200,000 over a lifetime.

Jan. 16 -- Inmate gets last-minute stay: HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A condemned Texas inmate awaiting execution for a botched extortion attempt received an 11th-hour reprieve Thursday night as he was awaiting transfer to the Texas death chamber, his attorney said.

Jan. 16 -- Sheriff seeks proof that employees voted: ANGLETON, Texas (AP) -- Sheriff Joe King says he was trying to get employees to do their civic duty when he demanded they vote in the upcoming primary election.

Jan. 15 -- Governor says students who don't pass state tests shouldn't be promoted: HOUSTON (AP) -- Students who fail to pass parts of standardized state tests in the third, fifth and eighth grades would not be promoted routinely to the next grade under a plan proposed Wednesday by Gov. George W. Bush.

Jan. 15 -- Judge allows TV camera, two still cameras in Zamora trial: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Court TV will be allowed to televise the capital murder trial of former Naval Midshipman Diane Zamora, the judge presiding over the case ruled Wednesday.

Jan. 15 -- State offers Lone Star Card operator more work: AUSTIN (AP) -- The Texas Department of Human Services is offering more work to the operator of its Lone Star Card in a move the agency calls an effort to reduce its load of paper transactions.

Jan. 15 -- Judge: Cisneros' ex-mistress must stand trial: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- The ex-mistress of former U.S. Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros must stand trial on charges she hindered an investigation into whether he lied about secret payments to her, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Jan. 15 -- Judge issues reprieve for pet monkey: SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) -- A pet monkey won a 24-hour stay of execution Wednesday, thwarting animal control officers' plans to kill the primate so it could be tested for rabies.

Jan. 15 -- Gun, lead testimony in Mowbray case: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A state crime lab supervisor testified Wednesday that tests he performed could not conclusively show whether Susie Mowbray killed her husband in 1987.

Jan. 15 -- Lawyer: Norplant distributors defrauded American women: EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- The makers of the Norplant contraceptive committed "a fraud against American women" by playing down the drug's side effects, an attorney told jurors Wednesday.

Jan. 15 -- Starr County sheriff, six other officials indicted on federal charges: McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- A federal grand jury has indicted Starr County Sheriff Gene Falcon and six other public officials on charges they took kickbacks from a bail bondsman in return for inmate referrals, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Jan. 15 -- 1 dead, 3 wounded in robbery of campus registration line: McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- Police searched today for two gunmen who killed a security guard and shot three other people while robbing a community college registration line.

Jan. 15 -- Supreme Court ends family's fight over schooling of disabled child: HOUSTON (AP) -- Teri Frenchak's four-year battle with the Cypress-Fairbanks school district over the education of her son, who suffers from Tourette's Syndrome, came to an end with a U.S. Supreme Court decision this week.

Jan. 15 -- Five plead guilty for participation in alien smuggling operation: WASHINGTON (AP) -- In what the feds are calling the breakup of a major alien smuggling operation, five people pleaded guilty in Texas court Wednesday for their role in bringing hundreds of Filipino and Korean nurses into the United States to work for below-market wages.

Jan. 15 -- UT officials predict more minorities will enter medical schools: AUSTIN (AP) -- Lower requirements will allow for a more diverse first-year medical school class at the University of Texas this fall, university officials predict.

Jan. 14 -- Bureau of Indian Affairs assists in arrest of suspect on reservation: DALLAS (AP) -- The Bureau of Indian Affairs intervened to facilitate the arrest on Indian territory of a man suspected in the death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old daughter, officials say.

Jan. 14 -- Jury selection delayed again as settlement talks continue: DALLAS (AP) -- Jury selection in the lawsuit between the state of Texas and the tobacco industry was delayed again Tuesday by a federal judge intent on giving the parties enough time to complete their mega-billion-dollar settlement.

Jan. 14 -- INS seeks to speed crossings for frequent Mexico border crossers: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Seeking to speed crossings at two of the nation's busiest ports of entry, the immigration service will offer a high-tech solution this summer along the Mexico border in Texas and California.

Jan. 14 -- Confusion, carelessness over DEA rules led to pharmacy investigation: WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) -- Unauthorized use of a doctor's U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency identification number in writing prescriptions for controlled substances spawned a recent federal investigation into area pharmacies, the doctor said.

Jan. 14 -- New court created to handle youth abuse cases in nine counties: CONROE, Texas (AP) -- Child abuse cases in a nine-county area will now go to one court in Conroe.

Jan. 14 -- Austin's charity clinic gratifies healers, patients: AUSTIN -- A grown man's world broke wide open when he received his first pair of glasses. Once, a 14-year-old girl went into labor in the parking lot after being turned away from emergency rooms three times. Then there was the 17-year-old fieldworker who had a hole in his heart so big he shouldn't have been alive.

Jan. 14 -- DNA testing leads to arrest in 12-year-old California slaying: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Twelve years after California a woman was sexually assaulted and strangled, officers have filed charges against a 36-year-old man who has been jailed for marijuana possession since 1996.

Jan. 14 -- Report: State must test prisoners for drugs to prevent grant loss: AUSTIN (AP) -- Texas prison inmates must be randomly tested for drugs to prevent the state's juvenile offender programs from losing millions of dollars in federal funds, the Austin American-Statesman reported Tuesday.

Jan. 14 -- 'Stupid is as stupid does'; Jury rejects 'Forrest Gump' defense in gas blast: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A man who used a "Forrest Gump" defense that asserted he was too stupid to know the theft of a gas stove would cause an explosion has been convicted on federal arson charges.

Jan. 14 -- Opponents of concealed-carry law highlight arrests: AUSTIN (AP) -- More than 900 Texans licensed to carry concealed handguns have been arrested for alleged crimes, a fact concealed-gun opponents used to attack the state's concealed-carry law Tuesday.

Jan. 14 -- UNT cataloging DJ's jazzy donation: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- The University of North Texas is really jazzed by a donation from a longtime radio personality once affiliated with the school.

Jan. 14 -- Jurors award $1.78 million to ex-wife of lottery winner: HOUSTON (AP) -- A jury has awarded the ex-wife of a Lotto winner $1.78 million, finding that her ex-husband schemed to keep her share of the jackpot by having his girlfriend claim the winnings.

Jan. 14 -- First of Norplant contraceptive cases goes to trial: EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- The first of thousands of lawsuits over the Norplant contraceptive went to trial Monday as jury selection began in a South Texas court.

Jan. 14 -- Panhandle town rocked by three church-related fires: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Authorities in the southeast Panhandle town of Wellington have stepped up their patrols in the wake of three church-related fires over the last three weeks.

Jan. 13 -- Tobacco trial having little impact on Wall Street: DALLAS (AP) - Talk of a settlement between the state of Texas and the tobacco industry is having little impact on the stock market, primarily because Wall Street is already expecting a national deal, analysts said Monday.

Jan. 13 -- 'Voyage of the Damned' problems blamed on bad fuel: HOUSTON (AP) - Bad fuel is to blame for a series of mechanical problems aboard the Norwegian Star, the ship's captain says.

Jan. 13 -- State studies South Texas mountain lions range, prey: AUSTIN (AP) - Mountain lions in South Texas tend to have smaller home ranges than their western cousins and prey mostly on white-tailed deer, according to a new study.

Jan. 13 -- South Plains woman one of world's oldest: RALLS, Texas (AP) - For Emma Massey's birthday on Thursday, she'll need a huge cake to be able to fit all the candles - 117 of them.

Jan. 13 -- State budget chief calls lottery revenue estimate conservative, accurate: AUSTIN (AP) - Texans have pulled back on buying lottery tickets, but it's too soon to be extremely concerned about the impact that could have on the state's budget, the head of state revenue estimating said Monday.

Jan. 13 -- Morales: State board can adopt optional sex-ed curriculum, textbooks: AUSTIN (AP) - The State Board of Education cannot adopt required curriculum or textbooks for sex education, but it can adopt guidelines for such classes and books, Attorney General Dan Morales says.

Jan. 13 -- AFL-CIO launches campaign to build base Moving on news and business circuits: AUSTIN (AP) - Still basking in victories by organized labor such as the United Parcel Service strike last year, the Texas AFL-CIO has launched a campaign to revitalize its base and criticize the record of Gov. George W. Bush.

Jan. 13 -- Judge denies second change-of-venue request in beef defamation lawsuit: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - A federal judge has refused to move a beef defamation trial against Oprah Winfrey to Dallas and has kept in place an order to all parties not to discuss the case with outsiders.

Jan. 13 -- Disappearing relics: fallout shelters of the Cold War era: DENTON, Texas - Chimpanzee astronauts and aluminum T.V. dinner trays found their place in the history of the colorful and paranoid 1950s. And now too, officials say, have most all signs of the fallout shelters once advertised on what seemed to be the front of nearly all of America's public buildings.

Jan. 12 -- Amarillo Chamber memo: No red carpet for Oprah: AMARILLO (AP) - The Amarillo Chamber of Commerce won't be rolling out the red carpet when Oprah Winfrey brings her television show to the Texas Panhandle city this month. Winfrey is moving her show from Chicago for about a month while she defends herself against a defamation lawsuit brought by cattle ranchers. She's expected to testify in the trial, which starts Jan. 20.

Jan. 12 -- Political races heating up as barbs fly: AUSTIN - Texas Republicans have accused each other of bribes, foul play and backroom deals. One GOP candidate for agriculture commission tried to get his female opponent booted off the ballot.

Jan. 12 -- Man was bubbly despite arrest at airport, gift proves: DALLAS (AP) - An Amarillo man didn't hold it against police who arrested him on New Year's Eve for having a handgun in his luggage at Dallas Love Field.

Jan. 12 -- Jail inmate confesses to torture-slayings, seeks death sentence: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Promising to kill again if he does not recr, 81-year-old U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez missed the headquarters opening Saturday for his son's campaign to succeed him in Congress.

Jan. 11 -- Pilotless balloon lands in Texas; explorers parachute into New Mexico field: LINDSAY, Texas (AP) -- Two men who had hoped to become the first to sail nonstop around the world in a balloon didn't even make it out of New Mexico, where the trip began.

Jan. 11 -- Television station reporter, photographer fined for contempt: TYLER, Texas (AP) -- A judge has ordered a Tyler television reporter and cameraman to each pay $250 for violating his order not to photograph juvenile sexual assault suspects who are on trial.

Jan. 11 -- No violations found in education board's contracts: AUSTIN (AP) -- No state laws were violated by the State Board of Education when members hired private firms to help manage $2.5 billion of the state's Permanent School Fund, according to a review released by the Texas Education Agency.

Jan. 11 -- Boy says his dog helped him stay safe overnight in cold, rain: WEATHERFORD, Texas (AP) -- A dog is being credited with helping save the life of an 11-year-old boy who got lost and was forced to spend the night outdoors in near-freezing temperatures, dressed only in a T-shirt and jeans.

Jan. 11 -- Poor health keeps Gonzalez from son's campaign kickoff: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Feeling under the weather, 81-year-old U.S. Rep. Henry B. Gonzalez missed the headquarters opening Saturday for his son's campaign to succeed him in Congress.

Jan. 11 -- Gorbachev to speak at El Paso Holocaust museum: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev will appear at the city's Holocaust museum this fall.

Jan. 11 -- First of Norplant contraceptive cases heads to trial: EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- One woman claims she was so depressed she felt like killing her child. Another says she wanted to kill herself.

Jan. 11 -- Inmate begins bid for freedom after 15 years on death row: HOUSTON (AP) -- With the appointment of a new lawyer for his retrial, a former death row inmate has begun his bid for freedom -- an opportunity provided when the Texas attorney general's office missed an appeal deadline.

Jan. 11 -- Survey: Texas Republicans toe party line; Democrats split: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Texas Republicans in Congress were faithful supporters of their party's legislative agenda last year, overwhelmingly toeing the line on showdown votes, according to an annual study of congressional voting patterns.

Jan. 11 -- Some find routine U.S. Customs test offensive: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Using Mexican volunteers to cross the border carrying drugs as a way to test U.S. Customs' ability to catch them perpetuates the stereotype of Mexicans as drug dealers, complain some Mexican officials.

Jan. 10 -- Arsonist set fire that destroyed half-completed hotel, officials say: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A fire that destroyed the half-completed Hawthorn Suites hotel and damaged other nearby downtown structures was started by an arsonist, fire investigators say.

Jan. 10 -- Tobacco trial delayed two days while sides talk settlement possibilities: DALLAS (AP) -- Texas' lawsuit against Big Tobacco has been delayed by two days, as insiders speculate about the possibility of a settlement.

Jan. 10 -- State says Blues merger would threaten Texans' money: AUSTIN (AP) -- Hundreds of millions of dollars invested by Texans in Blue Cross-Blue Shield could be lost if the nonprofit company in Texas is allowed to merge with the Blues of Illinois, a Texas attorney told a judge Friday.

Jan. 10 -- FBI completes investigation into Marine's shooting of teen: PECOS, Texas (AP) -- The FBI has completed its investigation into the fatal shooting of a border teen-ager by a U.S. Marine and forwarded the case to federal civil rights investigators, an FBI spokesman said Friday.

Jan. 10 -- Clinton visits poverty-plagued South Texas to pitch college aid: MISSION, Texas (AP) -- On a swing through one of the most impoverished regions in the nation, President Clinton Friday proposed a $70 million boost to work-study programs to open the doors to college "to every American who wants to go."

Jan. 10 -- Former school district official squandered money he embezzled: McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- The former tax collector for the McAllen school district says he squandered hundreds of thousands of dollars he had embezzled on gambling losses, bad investments and computers for his office.

Jan. 10 -- Man gets 41 months in prison for bank robbery: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- A San Angelo Sunday school teacher and Promise Keeper was sentenced Friday to more than three years in prison for robbing a local bank with a fake bomb last year.

Jan. 10 -- Students at 575 Texas schools eligible to transfer: AUSTIN (AP) -- Students at 575 public schools in Texas will be eligible to transfer to other schools this fall because their current schools have low state accountability ratings or have had a low rate of students passing the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test.

Jan. 9 -- Winfrey deposition breaks nearly two years of silence on "mad cow" show: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey has virtually sworn off eating beef since hosting a "Dangerous Foods" edition of her talk show that spawned a federal defamation suit by Texas cattlemen, according to lengthy depositions.

Jan. 9 -- FBI investigating racist statements made about Houston mayor on answering machine: HOUSTON (AP) -- The FBI is investigating racist statements made about Houston Mayor Lee Brown on a white supremacist group's answering machine tape.

Jan. 9 -- Police: men photographed young girls nude, coaxed them into sex: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Two men were in the Nueces County jail today, accused of photographing young girls in the nude and coaxing them into sexual acts that were captured on videotape.

Jan. 9 -- Clinton heads to border town to pitch access to education: MISSION, Texas (AP) -- An annual parade celebrating citrus is usually the most exciting event in this Texas border town. On Friday, grapefruit is getting squeezed out by something juicier. Clinton's policies have had substantial effect on Valley

Jan. 9 -- Condemned woman hasn't yet asked for clemency, officials say: AUSTIN (AP) -- As the pending execution of the first woman in Texas in 135 years approaches, state officials Thursday said she hasn't yet asked to have her death sentence commuted.

Jan. 9 -- Judge rules 17-year-old woman must finish rape sentence in prison: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A teen-age girl who lured a friend to her apartment four years ago so four boys could rape her as part of a gang ritual has learned that she'll be transferred next month to an adult prison.

Jan. 9 -- Floodwaters receding along San Jacinto River: HOUSTON (AP) -- Flood waters appeared to be receding Thursday along the San Jacinto River, the area heaviest hit by a series of downpours this week.

Jan. 9 -- Former student sues over change in grading policy: GEORGETOWN, Texas (AP) -- A former Southwestern University student who graduated with a 3.896 grade-point average has sued his school to have his GPA recalculated.

Jan. 9 -- Cisneros hires superlawyer, denies obstruction: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Accompanied by new, high-powered defense counsel, former Housing Secretary Henry G. Cisneros pleaded innocent Thursday to illegally concealing payments to an ex-mistress while under consideration for his Cabinet post.

Jan. 9 -- Book chronicles three women's search for child's killer: ALVIN, Texas -- In 1994, investigators searching for clues to the death of 2-year-old Katherine Renee Goode were aided when the girl "spoke" to them from the grave.

Jan. 9 -- Private investigator hands over results of investigation: SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- A private investigator has handed over a box of documents he gathered while investigating Sheila Bellush days before she was killed in her home as her quadruplet toddlers played nearby.

Jan. 9 -- 'Terroristic threats' preceded huge downtown fire: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Weeks before a fire engulfed a new hotel and devoured a city block, the hotel construction manager reported receiving "terroristic threats," the San Antonio Express-News reported Thursday.

Jan. 9 -- Notable quote raises ire of fathers' rights advocates: AUSTIN (AP) -- Fathers' rights advocates say Comptroller John Sharp and his staff need some sensitivity training.

Jan. 9 -- Family sues Trump over alleged drunken-driving accident: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Real estate tycoon Donald Trump has been sued by the family of a woman killed by a driver who allegedly drank too much at a party thrown by the celebrity.

Jan. 9 -- State legislators seek to find out what effect NAFTA has on Texas: AUSTIN -- State lawmakers trying to determine what effect the North American Free Trade Agreement is having in Texas will hold their fourth public hearing next week in South Texas.

Jan. 8 -- Military joining Border Patrol in new anti-drug operation: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- In its first major move along the U.S.-Mexico border since a Marine shot and killed a teen-ager, the military is bringing in construction equipment and more than 500 soldiers for anti-drug operations.

Jan. 8 -- Choctaw family wants custody battle moved to tribal court: DALLAS (AP) -- A custody battle between a Dallas widow and her Oklahoma in-laws has taken a complicated turn, with the in-laws asking a judge to turn the dispute over to an American Indian tribal court in Oklahoma.

Jan. 8 -- Heavy rains result in flooding along San Jacinto River: HOUSTON (AP) -- Jon Ingram's been through this before. "I'm just going over to higher ground," Ingram, 26, said Wednesday, sloshing through knee-deep water in his house near the banks of the rain-swollen San Jacinto River northeast of Houston.

Jan. 8 -- Man testifies he had girlfriend claim his winning $3.5 million prize: HOUSTON (AP) -- A Houston man has testified he held a winning 1993 Lotto Texas ticket worth $3.5 million but had his girlfriend claim the money so his estranged wife wouldn't get any of it.

Jan. 8 -- Peso devaluation claims more border businesses: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Call it a sign of the times, or a lingering sign of bad times. Three longtime downtown establishments are closing up shop, the latest casualties of the 1994 Mexican peso devaluation that destroyed dozens of border businesses.

Jan. 8 -- Government asks Texas judge to delay ruling: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Joining AT&T, MCI and Sprint, the government asked a Texas judge Wednesday to delay his ruling that two regional Bell telephone companies could offer long-distance service.

Jan. 8 -- Court rules against child pornographer: AUSTIN (AP) -- A ruling Wednesday by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals makes it clear that child pornographers will get no leniency in Texas.

Jan. 8 -- Former Episcopal priest accused of molesting young boy: DALLAS (AP) -- A Fannin County grand jury has indicted a former Episcopal priest on a charge of molesting an 8-year-old boy in 1996 at a religious retreat center.

Jan. 8 -- Air assault begins again; officials report success: AUSTIN (AP) -- Planes carrying rabies vaccine lifted off from the Alice airport Wednesday, launching the fourth year of an increasingly successful air assault on the canine rabies outbreak in South Texas.

Jan. 8 -- Republic of Texas member fights deportation order: DALLAS (AP) -- A member of the Republic of Texas separatist group said she will fight a federal order to have her deported because of two felony convictions.

Jan. 7 -- Parents sue hospital for keeping their brain-damaged baby alive: HOUSTON (AP) -- Does a hospital have the right to keep a premature brain-damaged baby alive through life support against the parents' wishes?

Jan. 7 -- Lawyers mum as court proceedings begin in beef vs. Oprah case: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- Pretrial hearings began Tuesday in what promises to be this Panhandle city's most spectacular trial in 19 years: a federal defamation lawsuit filed against Oprah Winfrey by a group of cattlemen.

Jan. 7 -- Immigrant apprehensions decrease during Operation Rio Grande: HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- Illegal immigrant apprehensions dropped 25 percent during the first four months of an operation intended to seal the border to unlawful crossers, Border Patrol officials said Tuesday.

Jan. 7 -- Texas legislator's son may be left paralyzed from van wreck in Mexico: DALLAS (AP) -- The 14-year-old son of state Rep. Kenny Marchant may be left paralyzed from the waist down from a weekend church van accident in Mexico that killed two and injured four others, including the boy's mother and 12-year-old sister.

Jan. 7 -- Children's home donkey faces retirement, a successor: DENTON, Texas -- Abagail the donkey has lived in Denton since the Beatles first landed in America.

Jan. 7 -- Ranger fatally shoots man at DPS driver's license office: SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas (AP) -- A gunman was fatally shot by a Texas Ranger on Tuesday after walking into a driver's license office with a fake bomb and demanding to speak with Governor George W. Bush.

Jan. 7 -- Delta announces discounted internet-purchased fares between Jan. 19-Feb. 28: GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) -- Delta Air Lines has announced discounted fares -- if bought on its Internet web site -- for travel between its hub at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and most U.S. destinations between Jan. 19 and Feb. 28.

Jan. 7 -- Gonzalez remains mum on his congressional plans: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Is he retiring from Congress, as promised? Or isn't he? Only Henry B. Gonzalez knows for sure.

Jan. 7 -- Postal board elects Texan new chairman, hears good news: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Texas lawyer Sam Winters was elected chairman of the board of governors of the U.S. Postal Service Tuesday.

Jan. 7 -- Traffic deaths rise 13.7 percent; I-35 the worst: AUSTIN (AP) -- Traffic deaths in Austin increased 13.7 percent in 1997, and Interstate 35 -- with its congestion, high speeds and short entrance ramps -- again earned the reputation of a death trap. The interstate accounted for nearly a third of the city's traffic fatalities.

Jan. 6 -- San Angelo goes murder-free for 1997; chief says it's first time in memory: SAN ANGELO, Texas (AP) - For the first time since such records were kept, this city of about 90,000 finished a calendar year with nary a homicide. In fact, it's been a year and a half since someone was slain here.

Jan. 6 -- Gun battle interrupts wedding reception: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - The cake was cut and the dancing had begun when a Texas-style wedding reception erupted into a gun battle and knife fight that sent four people to the hospital.

Jan. 6 -- New Year's death count: 30: AUSTIN (AP) - At least 30 people died in Texas traffic accidents over the long New Year's Holiday, the Department of Public Safety said Monday.

Jan. 6 -- Lottery renews contract with advertising firm: AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas Lottery on Monday renewed for one year its advertising contract with Austin-based GSD&M.

Jan. 6 -- Missing boy found dead after flash flooding: IRVING, Texas (AP) - From a bridge over a swollen drainage ditch, two boys looked down at weekend floodwaters more than 20 feet deep and moving over 15 mph. Both decided to jump in for a fun ride downstream as a third boy looked on, but the two were swept into a creek by powerful currents. Irving police and fire departments were able to rescue one of the youngsters Sunday night.

Jan. 6 -- Batty over bats, Austin may get bat sculpture: AUSTIN (AP) - Already batty over its bats, Austin may get one that's 6 feet tall, 20 feet wide and in the middle of town.

Jan. 6 -- 50-year effort tracks "family" ties for children's home alums: WACO, Texas - It was a completely unexpected event in Massachusetts that convinced Harold Larson to devote his spare time to researching the history of the Waco State Home.

Jan. 6 -- Police seek man involved in 'one-man crime wave': HOUSTON (AP) - Police were trying to put together Monday a composite drawing of a man wanted for killing two men, abducting two women and staging a carjacking - all in a 24-hour period.

Jan. 5 -- Cattlemen go after Oprah in mad cow disease trial this week: CHICAGO - Although mad cow disease has never been documented in the United States, Oprah Winfrey says she had every right to speculate on her show about the possibility of an outbreak here.

Jan. 5 -- Cowboy poet Buck Ramsey dead at 59: AMARILLO (AP) - Singing cowboy Buck Ramsey has died at the age of 59. Ramsey died early Saturday at his Amarillo home, officials said. Charles Ramsey said the cause of his brother's death had not been determined, but he had been hospitalized in December with some internal pain.

Jan. 5 -- Experts say tobacco lawsuit may be settled out of court: DALLAS (AP) - Some legal experts and tobacco industry insiders are predicting that Texas' $8.6 billion tobacco lawsuit will be settled outside the courtroom.

Jan. 5 -- Wetter was better in 1997; above-average rainfall busts mid-90s drought: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The 1990s won't join the 30s and 50s in Texas drought lore thanks to because of a wetter-than-normal 1997 that refilled reservoirs, smoothed parched earth and moistened crops and pastures.

Jan. 5 -- Online service allows parents to monitor child care: DALLAS (AP) - While some parents feel comforted by being able to monitor their children's day care activities through their computers, one cautious mother has forced her daughter's facility to go offline.

Jan. 5 -- El Nino could help prevent coastal fish kills: HOUSTON - No one seems to have a good word to say about El Nino, blaming the weather phenomenon for everything from floods to uneven tire wear.

Jan. 5 -- Clinton visit generates excitement in Rio Grande Valley: McALLEN, Texas (AP) - United States presidents don't come to the Rio Grande Valley very often, especially if they're not running for re-election. So area officials and residents are looking forward to President Clinton's arrival later this week and hoping to make the most of it.

Jan. 5 -- Anti-drug forces debate trade pact's effect on trafficking: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Heroin is flowing more abundantly into Texas partly because of increased truck traffic from Mexico under the North American Free Trade Agreement, some officials say.

Jan. 5 -- As indictments increase, judges and lawyers question soundness of cases: DALLAS (AP) - An escalating volume of indictments returned by Dallas County grand juries has judges and defense attorneys questioning the soundness of many of those cases.

Jan. 5 -- Ex-AG heads company seeking to counsel dying Texas prisoners: AUSTIN (AP) - Steve Clark, the disgraced former attorney general of Arkansas, heads a company that's bidding to counsel dying inmates in Texas prisons.

Jan. 5 -- Mowbray set for retrial in husband's 1987 murder: LOS FRESNOS, Texas (AP) - Laughter reverberated from the television as Johnny Carson cracked a joke. Snuggled into bed, Susie Mowbray watched the show as her husband, Bill, drifted off to sleep next to her, snoring softly.

Jan. 5 -- Oyster poachers risk tougher punishment: SMITH POINT, Texas (AP) - Southeast Texas oystermen found slim pickings in 1997, prompting some to try skirting the law and digging for oysters in areas of Galveston Bay placed off limits because of pollution.

Jan. 5 -- Small, South Texas towns have hidden, colorful cultures: In some small ranching communities of South Texas, there is little need for a census because the number of residents can be counted on both hands.

Jan. 5 -- Vernon S&L scandal a memory: VERNON - The million-dollar office complex is only a few blocks away from the small stone building that's attached to a convenience store - at most a two-minute drive down Wilbarger Street.

Jan. 4 -- Appeals court to review ruling that could strip homestead protection: DALLAS (AP) -- A federal appeals court plans to reconsider a decision that could strip Texans of bankruptcy protection for their homesteads during divorce proceedings.

Jan. 4 -- Car pools of two can use HOV lane again -- for a price: HOUSTON (AP) -- The Metropolitan Transit Authority is letting two-person car pools back into the high-occupancy vehicle lane of the congested Katy Freeway during peak traffic hours -- for a price.

Jan. 4 -- Former Dallas superintendent seeks bankruptcy: DALLAS (AP) -- Former Dallas schools superintendent Yvonne Gonzalez, who is awaiting sentencing on a felony charge of misapplying $16,000 in school district funds, has filed for personal bankruptcy.

Jan. 4 -- Audit: State farm loan agency is $5.7 million in debt: DALLAS (AP) -- Bad loans have created a $5.7 million debt on a state agency that lends money to private agriculture ventures, a state audit shows.

Jan. 4 -- Report: Federal judge disciplined by panel of fellow jurists: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge alternately loathed as a tyrant and lauded for his no-nonsense manner has been disciplined by a panel of fellow jurists, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Saturday.

Jan. 4 -- Land commissioner candidate says he was offered money to pull out: HOUSTON (AP) -- State Sen. Jerry Patterson says Houston millionaire David Dewhurst, a friend but also a foe in the Republican primary for land commissioner, has offered campaign contributions if Patterson seeks another post.

Jan. 4 -- Juror sentenced for holding up proceedings: HOUSTON (AP) -- A capital murder trial led to jail time and a fine, but for a juror, not the defendant.

Jan. 3 -- Lee Brown becomes Houston's first black mayor: HOUSTON (AP) -- Vowing to make City Hall more responsive to its citizens, particularly its children, former federal drug czar Lee P. Brown took the oath of office Friday and became Houston's first black mayor.

Jan. 3 -- Eight suspects nabbed; ninth sought: WACO, Texas (AP) -- Authorities have arrested an eighth man in an alleged pedophile ring accused of sexually assaulting boys and sometimes taping the encounters.

Jan. 3 -- Hospitals full of upper respiratory patients: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Wards were so full of patients complaining of snuffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy heads or fever that hospitals asked Emergency Medical Services to bypass them, officials said.

Jan. 3 -- High schoolers' animals killed: AUSTIN (AP) -- For the second time in six months, animals being raised by Austin high school students have been attacked and killed.

Jan. 2 -- Old programmers may be the solution to Year 2000 glitch: HOUSTON (AP) -- Many companies are finding that the new generation of computer programmers are helpless to fix an expected world-wide glitch caused by programming that didn't account for the turn of the century.

Jan. 2 -- Friendship goes bad over cheese: Until two weeks ago, Maria Castro had used her mother's secret recipe and 25 years of hard work to turn Mexican cheese into an all-American success story.

Jan. 2 -- Mother: 2 sons who held hostages are "scary": DALLAS (AP) -- Two brothers who were jailed over separate Texas hostage incidents grew up in poverty and had an unstable home life in rough Chicago neighborhoods, their mother said.

Jan. 2 -- Sheriff says man he fatally shot wanted to be killed: HEMPHILL, Texas (AP) -- Sabine County Sheriff Tom Philips says a man he shot to death wanted to be killed and had carefully planned the incident.

Jan. 2 -- Two men try to save forgotten slave cemetery: DENTON, Texas (AP) -- Two men in North Texas are studying hundreds of tombstones in a quest to save the history linked to slaves buried at a forgotten cemetery.

Jan. 2 -- Austin officer sues city, says he was victim of retaliation: AUSTIN (AP) -- Claiming he was the victim of retaliation, an Austin police captain filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city and one of his bosses.

Jan. 1 -- Former housing secretary speaks out about indictment: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros said Wednesday much of his new year will be spent assembling a legal team to fight an indictment that he says makes false accusations.

Jan. 1 -- New year brings new laws: AUSTIN (AP) - The new year rings in more new state laws, including Texas' most stringent anti-youth smoking efforts, less-restrictive home equity lending and measures intended to make adopting a child easier. Complete List

Jan. 1 -- Brother of earlier hostage-taker surrenders peacefully: McKINNEY, Texas (AP) - A man who held his estranged wife and children hostage for nearly two days surrendered today, two weeks after his brother ended a similar standoff.

Jan. 1 -- State expert cautions that drugs still problem: AUSTIN (AP) - A national report showing an overall drop in the number of drug-related emergency room visits is far from a sign the battle against drugs is being won, a Texas drug expert said Wednesday.

Jan. 1 -- Colorado ends prison arrangement with Texas: DENVER (AP) - The last of 760 Colorado inmates have left three Texas county jails, ending a tumultuous 2-1/2-year arrangement between the two states.

Jan. 1 -- Scientists explore causes of fish kills: HOUSTON - Fish by the millions die unnatural deaths each year in scores of incidents across Texas.

Jan. 1 -- New adoption laws on the books: AUSTIN (AP) - A state law taking effect New Year's Day will end abusive birth parents' rights to their children sooner.

Jan. 1 -- Madison County offenders to be required to wear signs: MADISONVILLE, Texas (AP) - Some people who used hot checks for their Christmas shopping sprees in Madison County are soon going to get a rude awakening, a judge says.

Jan. 1 -- Musicians find therapy in harmony: JACKSONVILLE, Texas -The first line of Roger Miller's classic song "King of the Road" is "Trailer for sale or rent." It is not "Salems for sale or rent," as Randy Gorham once thought.