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March 31 -- Report: AG's candidate took money from businessman embroiled in lawsuits: HOUSTON - Republican attorney general candidate Barry Williamson took $50,000 in campaign contributions from Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, whose company is involved in five lawsuits with the AG's office, the Houston Chronicle reported Monday.

March 31 -- Suspended priest seduced altar boys with drugs, alcohol: DALLAS (AP) - Three former altar boys sexually abused hundreds of times by a now-suspended priest were so traumatized by the attacks that one became suicidal and the others were mentally scarred for years, a psychiatrist testified Monday in the ex-cleric's criminal trial.

March 31 -- American Airlines to require in-flight seat belt use: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Fasten your seat belts. And keep them on if you're flying American Airlines starting this summer.

March 31 -- Compaq, other companies join anti-pollution program: HOUSTON (AP) - Compaq Computer Corp. and 15 other Texas companies became the newest members of the state's Clean Industries 2000 program Monday, vowing to cut the undesirable byproducts of their businesses over the next two years.

March 31 -- Cab driver finds Final Four Tickets, $10,000 in cab and returns it: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - When taxi driver Al Gutierrez found six Final Four tickets and $10,000 in cash in the back seat of his taxi, he knew exactly what he had to do.

March 31 -- MTV documentary examines heroin use, Plano deaths: PLANO, Texas (AP) - Barbara Shaunfield had a feeling her son Matt's life wasn't going to have a happy ending. Her fears were realized early on the second morning of 1996 when Matt's college friends found the 220-pound, 6-foot-2 student slumped over in his bathroom, blue from lack of oxygen and about to die from a heroin overdose.

March 31 -- Man stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease adapts lawn mower: TROY, Texas - Recent heavy rains have brought the grass-mowing season to Central Texas with a vengeance, and it is no different with the Love yard on Aikman drive in Troy.

March 31 -- Slaying suspect says his will to live gone: DALLAS (AP) - One of two suspects in the abduction and murder of a mentally challenged 19-year-old Arlington woman says his feeling of guilt has removed his will to live.

March 31 -- Recyclers go door-to-door: BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Winter Texan Irene Underwood is a "trashy lady." And there are more where she comes from.

March 31 -- UT finds historic home in its parking spot: AUSTIN (AP) - The University of Texas planned to build a parking garage on the site of an old house. Now, it turns out the house once belonged to the judge who presided over the trial of author O. Henry, and preservationists think it should be saved.

March 31 -- Court rejects Texas regulator's attack on banking law: WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court today rejected a Texas regulator's attack on rulings that allowed two national banks to operate branches both in and outside Texas.

March 30 -- Judge's call on friend's behalf may have been unethical, some experts say: HOUSTON (AP) - In a case legal experts say raises ethical questions, a Texas appeals court judge called an influential minister to encourage him to give "all the help you can" to a lawyer handling a death row inmate's appeal.

March 30 -- Medical examiner recommends exhuming body of woman who died in '94: HOUSTON (AP) - The Harris County medical examiner has recommended exhuming the body of a woman who died four years ago, after her family raised questions about whether her death was suicide or murder.

March 30 -- Police officer accused of inappropriately stopping females: BEAUMONT (AP) - A police sergeant has been suspended with pay after being accused of using his position to inappropriately stop female motorists.

March 29 -- Taiwanese in Texas: No God on TV, but a lot of attention paid: GARLAND, Texas (AP) -- The TV trucks and legions of reporters showed up early; for who could resist promises of the sun vanishing forever and God taking to the airwaves? The city issued its own media guide to Judgment Day: portable toilets, ample parking and -- in case no deity showed -- directions to the International House of Pancakes.

March 29 -- UT to give GRE lesser role in graduate admissions: AUSTIN (AP) - The University of Texas may scrap its blanket requirement for minimum scores on the Graduate Record Examination and allow each department to set its own standards, including whether to use the test at all.

March 29 -- UT investigating hazing allegations: AUSTIN (AP) -- The University of Texas is investigating allegations that Kappa Alpha fraternity members brutalized a pledge last month.

March 29 -- New federal judge rose from humble beginnings: McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- When she was a girl, the eldest of five children of a South Texas migrant farm-working family, Hilda Tagle developed a love of learning.

March 29 -- Accused in Bellush Case Seeks Deal: SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) -- One of three men charged in the slaying of a mother of six, including quadruplets, has pleaded innocent and is talking with prosecutors about a plea deal.

March 29 -- Ex-priest convicted in altar boy molestation case: DALLAS (AP) -- A former priest was convicted Saturday of sexually abusing three altar boys after a one-week trial -- far briefer than a related 11-month civil trial last summer that devastated the Catholic Diocese of Dallas.

March 28 -- Convicted killer's second artshow opens Friday: HOUSTON (AP) -- Convicted killer Elmer Wayne Henley's artwork is back by popular demand.

March 28 -- Morales touts health fund idea: NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (AP) -- A proposal to create a constitutionally protected health-care fund with proceeds from the $15.3 billion tobacco settlement was touted Friday by Attorney General Dan Morales.

March 28 -- Task force will investigate drug-related public corruption: McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- A 12-agent task force of federal, state and local officers has been assigned to investigate allegations of drug-related public corruption in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

March 28 -- Canyon jury asks for death penalty against Brittany Holberg: CANYON, Texas (AP) -- A onetime prostitute is the first Texas woman to be sentenced to die since Karla Faye Tucker was executed on Feb. 3.

March 28 -- Execution date withdrawn for woman on Texas death row: HOUSTON (AP) -- Convicted killer Erica Sheppard, who once asked that all appeals of her death sentence be dropped, changed her mind and on Friday had a judge withdraw her April 20 execution date.

March 28 -- Cisneros' former mistress prepares for prison term: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The ex-mistress of former housing secretary Henry Cisneros says she holds no bitterness toward him as she prepares to serve a prison sentence for lying about alleged hush money Cisneros paid her.

March 28 -- Arrested man, victim had feuded: JACKSONVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Authorities have jailed a 30-year-old man in the slaying of a man missing for 34 days whose body has been found in brushy swampland in rural Anderson County.

March 28 -- Ex-priest's sexual abuse trial goes to jury: DALLAS (AP) -- The case of a Catholic priest accused of molesting altar boys was handed over to a jury in Dallas on Friday.

March 27 -- Separatists say they were taken in by McLaren's persuasive arguments: DALLAS (AP) - Persuasive arguments by Republic of Texas leader Richard McLaren convinced a group of honest men to take part in the distribution of $1.8 billion in worthless "warrants," defense attorneys say.

March 27 -- Woman held in contempt after scattering black pepper in courtroom: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - A woman has been cited for contempt of court because she scattered black pepper in a courtroom where a friend was to be tried on charges of sexual assault of a child.

March 27 -- Lawyer says answering machine tapes indicate millionaire changed mind about divorce: ORANGE, Texas (AP) - A 68-year-old Houston millionaire told his 37-year-old bride in an answering machine message shortly before his death that he had changed his mind about divorcing her, her lawyer says.

March 27 -- Study finds 271 million pounds of toxic waste in farm fertilizers: WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 271 million pounds of toxic waste was shipped to farms and fertilizer makers from 1990 to 1995 and could have been spread on farm fields nationwide, an environmental group said Thursday.

March 27 -- Court to consider emotional distress claim: AUSTIN (AP) - A disabled Vietnam veteran wants his day in court to prove he deserves $5 million for emotional distress after he saw a tractor-trailer rig crash into a march in which was participating.

March 27 -- Contaminated fish found in lake with good water: DONNA, Texas (AP) - Although fish in Donna Lake are contaminated, the water is used every day in local residents' sinks, toilets and bathtubs.

March 27 -- Former record producer eligible for parole in September: HOUSTON (AP) - A record producer sentenced to 15 years in prison for molesting a teen-age girl will be eligible for parole in September after serving only two years, officials say.

March 27 -- Interim sheriff chosen for scandal-rocked county: McALLEN, Texas (AP) - The chief deputy and jailer of scandal-rocked Starr County has been chosen to replace convicted ex-Sheriff Eugenio "Gene" Falcon.

March 27 -- Winning isn't the only thing, trying is ... : PALESTINE, Texas - To some people, a casual question asked by a 5-year-old boy to his mother at an area "field of dreams" a couple summers back meant little more than a strong whisper. To me, however, it spoke volumes about the society in which we live.

March 27 -- TCU introduces new chancellor: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Texas Christian University introduced Drake University President Michael R. "Mick" Ferrari as its ninth chancellor Thursday, hailing him as an adept fundraiser.

March 26 -- Auto insurer to refund more than $500,000 to overcharged customers: AUSTIN (AP) - About 8,000 Texans will split more than $500,000 in refunds from Farmers Insurance under an agreement between the company and state regulators.

March 26 -- Attorneys hit airwaves with infomercials: HOUSTON (AP) - Four Texas attorneys are joining the ranks of astrologers and get-rich-quick artists by hitting the airwaves with their own infomercials.

March 26 -- Student slashes self, three teachers before being caught: PRINCETON, Texas (AP) - A high school student slashed three teachers Wednesday with a razor blade when they tried to stop him from cutting himself.

March 26 -- Texas televangelist takes on Postal Service in federal court: WASHINGTON (AP) - Claiming discrimination against his ministry and censorship by the U.S. Postal Service, Texas televangelist John Hagee is taking his year-old battle with the government to the federal courts.

March 26 -- West Texas sheriff sentenced to 13 months for embezzlement: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - A former West Texas sheriff was sentenced to 13 months of confinement and ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution today for embezzling more than $20,000 from his own department.

March 26 -- God misses TV appearance; Church leader humble but unbowed: GARLAND, Texas (AP) - He stood at the edge of his lawn and talked of his enduring certainty - that God would indeed come, that the signs were all there, that Earth was poised at the edge of a fresh epoch desperately needed to renew humanity.

March 26 -- John Glenn isn't only senior eager to fly in space; 'Why not me? Or me?' SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) - NASA's decision to send a 77-year-old John Glenn back into orbit has reignited the space race, only this time the contenders are seniors.

March 26 -- Mexican judge reduces term for three convicted in spring break slaying: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A Mexico City appellate judge has reduced the prison terms for three cult members convicted of murdering a University of Texas student during spring break in 1989.

March 26 -- Former mistress of one-time HUD secretary sentenced to federal prison: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The ex-mistress of former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in federal prison today as part of a plea agreement to avoid even more jail time.

March 26 -- Horses of a different stature: FORT WORTH, Texas - When the Texas Agricultural Extension Service presents its annual Horse-O-Rama this weekend, not all the equine participants will arrive at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center by truck and trailer. Some will come in shoe boxes and paper bags.

March 26 -- Farmers looking to bond market as answer to boll weevil woes: HOUSTON (AP) - Some Texas cotton farmers who lack cash to participate in the statewide boll weevil eradication program are proposing a bond sale to fund it.

March 25 -- Crowds gather as Taiwanese sect awaits God's TV appearance: GARLAND, Texas (AP) - Onlookers, satellite trucks and legions of reporters streamed Tuesday into a Dallas suburb where a Taiwanese religious group awaited God's appearance on television's Channel 18 - an event they say presages His return to earth next week.

March 25 -- Sharp urges lawmakers to do more to sustain Texas' space program: SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) - Johnson Space Center could fall victim to the same budgetary knife that has gutted Texas' military bases unless state lawmakers begin doing their part to keep it viable, state Comptroller John Sharp said Tuesday.

March 25 -- DPS says computers making counterfeiting easier: AUSTIN (AP) - The proliferation of cheaper, more powerful, high-quality personal computers is leading to a boom in counterfeit documents, Texas law enforcement officials say.

March 25 -- Kos pleads guilty to three sex counts, trial begins on five others: DALLAS (AP) - Suspended Catholic priest Rudolph Kos pleaded guilty today to three counts of sexually molesting altar boys, but prosecutors went forward with five more counts against him.

March 25 -- Jury awards $3.3 million to family of man who wandered away: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - A jury has awarded $3.3 million in damages to the parents of a terminally ill man who wandered away from a Texas City nursing home and died of heat exposure.

March 25 -- New center works to curb death and injury in highway work zones: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Mark Huff, a Texas Department of Transportation inspector, has managed to avoid becoming a statistic that government and transportation industry experts are trying to reduce.

March 25 -- Five infected with contagious disease: MOULTON, Texas (AP) - State health workers say a South Texas restaurant is not necessarily the source of a hepatitis outbreak in Moulton.

March 25 -- Supreme Court case could affect insurance rates: AUSTIN (AP) - The state Supreme Court is considering whether standard homeowners insurance covers all damage caused by plumbing leaks in a case likely to affect future policies in Texas.

March 25 -- Former altar boy alleges dead West Texas priest abused him during 1980s: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - A former West Texas altar boy has sued the Catholic dioceses in Lubbock and Amarillo, alleging that a now-dead priest abused him for 10 years until his death from cancer in 1992.

March 25 -- Cancer victim's family settles with doctors hired by Army hospital: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Doctors at Darnall Army Community Hospital at Fort Hood have agreed to a $925,000 settlement for the husband, children and parents of a woman who died of cervical cancer.

March 24 -- Bullock thanks newspaper group for decades of friendship, aid: DALLAS (AP) - Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock never forgot that many Texas newspaper editors endorsed his 1981 re-election bid for state comptroller even though he had just undergone treatment for alcoholism.

March 24 -- Oil price drop hardly registered in 1990s budget: AUSTIN (AP) - Oil prices were rebounding Monday after a prolonged plunge, but that decline barely blipped on the state budget's radar.

March 24 -- Decision to cut crude oil production likely to raise prices at the pump: DALLAS (AP) - Cheap gasoline's days are numbered. A decision by major oil-producing countries to cut their crude oil output and the approach of the summer travel season means automobile owners are likely to see gas prices creep upward.

March 24 -- Pieces of possible meteoroid fall in West Texas: MONAHANS, Texas (AP) - Authorities are investigating whether an unusual black rock discovered by a group of teen-agers caused a flash of light that many believed to be a falling meteoroid.

March 24 -- Mauro adds details to teacher signing bonus plan: AUSTIN (AP) - Land Commissioner Garry Mauro added some detail to his teacher-signing bonus plan Monday, saying those who don't meet all the requirements could have to repay the state.

March 24 -- Hundreds of spring breakers stranded in Mexico by plane trouble: HOUSTON (AP) - More than 400 spring breakers left stranded over the weekend at the airport in Cancun, Mexico, were scheduled to return to Texas and Oklahoma today, officials said.

March 24 -- West Texan's father fought in Civil War, survived ship catastrophe: SAN ANGELO, Texas - When he read the brief item in the "Did You Know" column of the Standard-Times, Robert Warner knew he had to respond and set the record straight.

March 24 -- Mexicans and Americans misunderstand each other, ambassador says: DALLAS (AP) - United States residents, for the most part, have the wrong idea about their neighbors to the south, the Mexican ambassador to the U.S. said Monday.

March 23 -- Taxpayer watchdogs say Harris County needs to spend more in Houston: HOUSTON (AP) - More than half of Harris County's residents live in Houston, but less than one-third of the county's bond dollars will be spent on road work in the city, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday.

March 23 -- About 15 people arrested in beach brawls: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - About 15 people began posting bond and leaving the Nueces County jail Sunday after they were arrested during a series of fights at a Padre Island beach.

March 23 -- U.S. tourists blunder into Mexican jails on gun violations: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Hundreds of U.S. citizens wind up in handcuffs or prison each year for violating strict Mexican gun-control statutes, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday.

March 23 -- Court to decide: What's the standard for school liability? LAGO VISTA, Texas (AP) - Five years ago, a call from the cops stunned school superintendent Virginia Collier. One of the district's teachers, a 52-year-old retired Marine, had been found naked in a secluded, wooded area with a 15-year-old student.

March 23 -- Sex-abuse trial of suspended priest set for this week: DALLAS (AP) - A criminal trial is set for this week in the sexual molestation case against Rudolph Kos, a suspended Catholic priest accused of sexually molesting boys in his charge.

March 22 -- Authorities arrest man separatists say duped them: DALLAS (AP) - Oregon authorities have arrested a man nine Republic of Texas separatists allege duped them into believing they could legally print and distribute their own currency.

March 22 -- Rival Davidian factions fighting over name, property: WACO, Texas (AP) - Another squabble is taking place at Mount Carmel. This time, however, the fight isn't taking place on the 77-acre Branch Davidian property. The debate is over who can claim the property.

March 22 -- Talk of Texas: Footnote to history: It was 120 years ago this month that Texas farmers and laborers introduced a brand of politics, new to the state, known as the Greenback Party.

March 22 -- Junior high principal charged with marijuana possession, carrying a gun: CLEVELAND (AP) - A junior high school principal has been suspended with pay after being charged with possession of marijuana and unlawfully carrying a pistol.

March 22 -- Despite defeat, Rodriguez case fired first shot in school equality: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Twenty-five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against parents in a poor San Antonio school district who wanted richer surrounding school districts to help pay for adequate facilities.

March 22 -- INS officers to learn sign language: EL PASO (AP) - In an effort to crack down on the subjugation and abuse of deaf and mute immigrants, 30 federal immigration officers are scheduled to learn sign language this week, the Immigration and Naturalization Service said Saturday.

March 21 -- Neighborhood continues effort to boot adult cinema: AUSTIN (AP) -- An effort to make Austin's South Congress Avenue the "Gateway to the Capital City" continues to be stymied by an adult movie theater, residents say.

March 21 -- Deal could go up in smoke, tobacco industry warns: TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge fielded more complaints Friday about the state's $15.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry, a day after hearing gripes from Gov. George W. Bush and state legislators.

March 21 -- Ex-officer says Austin police use brutality: AUSTIN (AP) -- A retired Austin police captain has testified that the city police department's negligence in pursuing complaints against officers encourages excessive use of force.

March 21 -- Contractor indicted on fraud charges in Dallas light rail project: DALLAS (AP) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a contractor on charges he created a phony business to secure $3 million in Dallas Area Rapid Transit construction contracts intended for a woman-owned business.

March 21 -- Emu breeder indicted on mail fraud and money laundering charges: WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) -- A former emu breeder has been arrested on charges of mail fraud and money laundering in connection with his sale in 1992 and 1993 of emu chicks that were never delivered.

March 21 -- Lotto winner's son among 4 charged in theft of trucks: CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) -- The son of former congressional candidate and Lotto Texas winner Edgar "Bubba" Groce has been accused of operating a theft ring on a 140-acre site owned by his father.

March 21 -- Federal judge to oversee oil royalty payment class-action suit: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- A tentative $144 million settlement between several major oil companies and royalty owners, including Texas' Permanent School Fund, is headed to a federal judge in Corpus Christi.

March 21 -- Cropduster manufacturer celebrates 40 years in Olney: WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) -- The highest-flying business in the little North Texas town of Olney began with a bang, 500 miles away.

March 21 -- IPAA chairman says long-term changes needed to protect oil industry: MIDLAND, Texas (AP) -- Domestic oil interests can't compete against foreign petroleum producers unless drastic, long-term changes are made in the way the United States does business, according to a leading independent oilman.

March 21 -- Boy dies trying to fight motor home fire: SHALLOWATER, Texas (AP) -- An 11-year-old boy died Friday trying to fight a motor home fire that left his mother and two young sisters homeless, authorities said.

March 21 -- Carnival ride inspected days before fatal accident: AUSTIN (AP) -- A carnival ride from which a 15-year-old girl was thrown to her death passed a safety inspection less than two weeks before the accident, state insurance officials said Friday.

March 21 -- Court rules state can retry murder suspect slapped by prosecutor: HOUSTON (AP) -- The state can retry a murder defendant who won a mistrial after a prosecutor slapped him on the back in front of jurors, the 1st Court of Appeals has ruled.

March 20 -- Federal judge to hear lawyers' fees arguments: TEXARKANA, Texas (AP) -- Gov. George W. Bush's lawyer questioned Attorney General Dan Morales' job performance in federal court Thursday during arguments over $2.3 billion in fees awarded to attorneys who helped Texas settle with Big Tobacco.

March 20 -- Seeing the world from a bicycle seat: LUFKIN, Texas -- For most, discovering the world requires a couple of suitcases, travelers checks and a plane ticket. Not so for one traveler.

March 20 -- Is the sky falling? Let's check the math first: HOUSTON (AP) -- A week after coming off like Chicken Little with a Ph.D., some astronomers have resolved to make sure they're right the next time they announce the sky might be falling.

March 20 -- Videotape shows councilman taking money-filled satchel: HOUSTON (AP) -- A city councilman accepted a satchel stuffed with $50,000 from an undercover FBI operative who posed as a businessman interested in investing in a city hotel contract, according to evidence presented Thursday in federal court.

March 20 -- Former prison chief files for bankruptcy again: AUSTIN (AP) -- Andy Collins, the former Texas prisons chief who left the state payroll for a $1,000-a-day prison-contractor consulting job that soon fizzled, has filed for personal bankruptcy for a second time.

March 20 -- Drug fighters take aim at reducing demand: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Drug fighters Thursday turned aside from their usual talk of battling traffickers to begin reemphasizing efforts to attack the root of the problem, the demand for illicit narcotics.

March 20 -- Annual music festival needs hundreds of helpers: AUSTIN (AP) -- South by Southwest, the annual music festival that draws hundreds of bands hoping for a shot at the big time, needs something else to be successful -- volunteers.

March 20 -- Senate open records panel hears complaints about Public Information Act: HOUSTON (AP) -- State Sen. Jeff Wentworth said Thursday he was sympathetic to calls from newspapers that new legislation note whether its passage would affect open meetings and public records acts although it was unlikely lawmakers could accommodate the idea.

March 20 -- Environmental groups: Texas utilities lead nation in mercury emissions: AUSTIN (AP) -- Coal-burning power plants in Texas emit more mercury than any others in the nation, according to environmental and consumer groups that are calling for more government regulations.

March 20 -- Lawsuit alleges nutcracker makers fraudulently obtained nutcracker patent: TYLER, Texas (AP) -- Makers of the "Texas Twister" say nuts to Wise Cracker Inc.

March 20 -- Supreme Court lets stand open record decision: AUSTIN (AP) -- The father of a Klein Independent School District student has won access to school records regarding his daughter.

March 20 -- Turtle deaths increasing along Texas coast: CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) -- Continuing injury and death to turtles has triggered new calls for closing waters off Padre Island National Seashore to shrimping.

March 19 -- Debt dispute between Rauschenberg, German art dealer resolved: HOUSTON (AP) -- A debt dispute that led to the brief seizure of 15 Robert Rauschenberg pieces from Houston's Menil Collection museum has been settled, lawyers said Wednesday.

March 19 -- Bickering over tobacco settlement moves back into court: DALLAS (AP) -- The federal judge overseeing Texas' record-breaking $15.3 billion settlement with Big Tobacco has opted to split hearings scheduled this week for legal challenges to the deal.

March 19 -- Minority businessman files discrimination lawsuit: AUSTIN (AP) -- A black man who lost his contract to sell barbecue at city venues after refusing to certify his business as minority-owned is suing the city and a concessions manager claiming racial discrimination.

March 19 -- Ambulance driver gets life sentence for having sex with girl: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A man convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old homeless girl has been sentenced to life in prison.

March 19 -- Medical school seniors scream and shout as they find out where they will serve their residencies: HOUSTON (AP) -- For at least an hour, Baylor College of Medicine seniors try to look relaxed as they nervously eyed their futures -- sealed in 162 envelopes and tacked on a bulletin board.

March 19 -- East Texans tackle Kilimajaro: NACOGDOCHES, Texas -- In some dialects, the name Kilimanjaro means "that which cannot be conquered," but Bruce Walker and his wife, Kathryn, set out to do just that.

March 19 -- Father disappears from boat on lake: AUSTIN (AP) -- A bath towel on a limestone ledge and an empty fire extinguisher are among the few clues in the disappearance of Bill Crumpacker, who vanished from his boat and left his two young sons behind.

March 19 -- Few Texans file health care appeals: DALLAS (AP) -- Despite a new law that helps health-care patients appeal cases to their insurance carriers, few Texans have taken advantage of it, officials say.

March 19 -- Diane Zamora assigned to Gatesville prison to serve life term: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Diane Zamora, convicted recently of capital murder in a highly publicized case, wants to help other inmates earn their high school diplomas while she serves her life sentence for the capital murder of a romantic rival.

March 19 -- Bush says Valley important to state: EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- Gov. George W. Bush told Rio Grande Valley farmers Wednesday that their industry -- and their region -- matter.

March 18 -- International migration helping fuel Texas' growth: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Lone Star State is proving an attractive destination for people from different countries and other parts of the United States, helping drive the state's population growth this decade.

March 18 -- Gramm, Hutchison seek to smooth flow of trade with increased Customs funding: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Now that Congress has beefed up the Border Patrol to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking, Texas' senators are turning their sights to another facet of life along the U.S.-Mexico border: Smoothing the snarled flow of trade.

March 18 -- Babbitt discusses wildlife preservation at Laguna Atascosa refuge: LAGUNA ATASCOSA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, Texas (AP) -- With the Aplomado falcon safe, for now, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt noted Tuesday efforts under way to expand the South Texas refuge that serves as home for the bird and other wildlife.

March 18 -- Controllers worried about malfunctions in airport communications system: SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A communications system that enables air traffic controllers at San Antonio International Airport to talk with pilots has failed at least five times this month, an air traffic controllers union president says.

March 18 -- Weather and crime crackdown blamed for bleak spring break: PORT ARANSAS, Texas (AP) -- Spring break has been a disappointment so far this year in this Gulf Coast community.

March 18 -- Beaten man jailed in abduction of wife and bank burglary: PALESTINE, Texas (AP) -- An East Texas man was jailed Tuesday after he abducted his estranged wife and forced her to give him the keys to a Palestine bank, where $15,000 was taken a short time later, authorities say.

March 18 -- North Texas soldier slain in World War II massacre honored: DALLAS (AP) -- A North Texas soldier has been honored, more than 53 years after he and 10 other members of an all-black U.S. Army unit were massacred by German troops during the Battle of the Bulge.

March 18 -- Houstonians remember their little bit of paradise -- the Shamrock Hotel: HOUSTON (AP) -- Each year on St. Patrick's Day morning, Tom Horan makes his pilgrimage to Shamrock Drive in the heart of the Texas Medical Center.

March 18 -- Texas Department of Criminal Justice hotline gives victims peace of mind: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A new hotline allows crime victims to keep round-the-clock tabs on assailants serving time within the state prison system.

March 18 -- New museum will preserve memories of those lost in school blast: NEW LONDON, Texas --On March 18, 1937, Mollie Ward, then a fourth-grader at the New London School, left an afternoon meeting early to board a school bus that would take her home.

March 18 -- Judge asked to dismiss lawsuit challenging mayor's order protecting gay city employees: HOUSTON (AP) -- City attorneys want a judge to dismiss a Houston City Council member's lawsuit that seeks to overturn Mayor Lee Brown's anti-discrimination order protecting gay employees.

March 18 -- Committee recommends keeping search and arrest warrants secret: HOUSTON (AP) -- A move is afoot to cloak to allow judges to drape search and arrest warrants, long regarded as public information in Texas, in secrecy, a judicial watchdog group warns.

March 17 -- UT process may be used to destroy nerve agent: AUSTIN (AP) -- A toxic-waste cleaning process developed by a University of Texas scientist is among three that the U.S. Army will test for neutralizing some of its 30,000 tons of Cold War chemical weapons.

March 17 -- First lady dedicates Houston center that treats abused children, ducks questions about husband: HOUSTON (AP) -- First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday opened a $10 million center for child sexual abuse victims, praised local advocates for their efforts and ignored questions about her husband's alleged sexual advances on a former White House volunteer.

March 17 -- Russian politician Lebed says there's still mistrust between U.S., Russia: HOUSTON (AP) -- Russian Popular Republican Party chief Alexander Lebed said Monday his country needs something like the post-World War II Marshall Plan to solve its economic crisis but acknowledged a continuing suspicion between the United States and Russia.

March 17 -- Judge denies mistrial in City Hall bribery case: HOUSTON (AP) -- A federal judge Monday refused to grant a mistrial in the City Hall bribery trial after defense attorneys presented evidence showing a key government witness once was fired as a DEA operative for lying, stealing and using cocaine.

March 17 -- Convicted molester repeats request for castration: DALLAS (AP) -- Repeat child molester Larry Don McQuay has renewed his threat to strike again if he's not surgically castrated before his prison release.

March 17 -- Mother voices concern about youth parole system: AUSTIN (AP) -- Brenda Sterrett wanted state authorities to revoke her 18-year-old son's parole.

March 17 -- Dallas man indicted on fraud counts in alleged charity scams: DALLAS (AP) -- A Dallas man is scheduled for arraignment Thursday on charges that he bilked Americans out of millions of dollars by using fake fund-raisers for sick children and war veterans.

March 17 -- Texans brace for additional storms later this week: DALLAS (AP) -- A handful of Texans awoke to minor flooding Monday, and officials braced for more problems with additional storms expected across the rain-soaked state later this week.

March 17 -- Danish artists unveil stamp in honor of Tucker: HOUSTON (AP) -- A group of Danish artists has unveiled two commemorative stamps honoring Karla Faye Tucker, the pickax killer and born-again Christian executed last month.

March 17 -- Woman finds dog after holding curbside vigil: HOUSTON (AP) -- A woman who spent six days and five nights in a curbside vigil in an attempt to find her lost dog is celebrating. "Precious" has come home.

March 17 -- Zoo keepers provide 24-hour-a-day devotion to caring for animals: DALLAS -- Safarani is 2 and, like a lot of youngsters her age, dawdles at bedtime.

March 16 -- Texans view discrimination as a serious problem: A majority of Texans view discrimination against blacks and Hispanics as a serious problem in Texas and nationwide, according to The Scripps Howard Texas Poll. And 92 percent say it is important to improve race relations in this country.

March 16 -- Storm system dumps more rain on Texas: An massive low-pressure system hung over the state on Sunday, dumping rain over an area from the Panhandle to East Texas. Still more rain was expected across the state through Monday.

March 16 -- First lady to dedicate Houston center that treats abused children: HOUSTON (AP) - Inside the playrooms at the new Children's Assessment Center, the atmosphere is quite cheerful, with lots of colors and big pictures of happy, smiling children. The sad reality is that many of the kids who come to the center will be victims of sexual abuse.

March 16 -- Dallas police chief chases down suspects: DALLAS (AP) - Dallas Police Chief Ben Click still remembers the days when he was out on the beat, breaking up barroom brawls and chasing down drunken misfits. He should remember - the last time he did it was early Saturday.

March 16 -- Southeast Texas man running for office that has more history than purpose: BEAUMONT, Texas - At the turn of the century, he was tough. With a gun hanging outside his belt, he was the law in a lawless country. A nightmare to cattle rustlers and horse thieves alike, he was the inspector of hides and animals.

March 16 -- Phone call rekindles romance dormant for six decades: HOUSTON - It started with the dream. Frances Moore, a widow for three years, dreamed she was talking on the telephone with her old high school flame, Les Davis, a man she hadn't seen for six decades. In the dream, her five grown sons kept trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.

March 16 -- Vets offer alternative medicine for pets: LUMBERTON, Texas - The patient lay belly-down on the examination table as the doctor began inserting hair-thin needles up and down her back. The needles are aligned along meridians, or pathways in the body through which energy flows. The needles then are wired to a battery-operated nerve stimulation unit. A mild electrical current is sent through the subject's body.

March 16 -- Grit, not glitz, turns Austin film fest into a must stop for buffs, distributors: AUSTIN - In showbiz, breathless media puffery - a.k.a. hype, buzz, ink-stained B.S. - can serve as a blast of helium for subjects undeserving, giving a lift to the lame and leaden ( Did someone say "Titanic " ?). The panting praise creates an alluring veneer for the public before the facts have trickled in and rinsed away the sticky hyperbole.

March 15 -- State flower makes early debut in parts of Texas: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Bluebonnets are popping up already in Central and South Texas, luring wildflower enthusiasts to the countryside early to view the colorful show.

March 15 -- County jails take pressure off prisons: DALLAS (AP) -- County jails are being used to house state inmates in an effort to avert a prison overcrowding crisis, Texas prison officials say.

March 15 -- Officer's fund-raising idea turns into memorial for slain colleagues: ANGLETON, Texas (AP) -- In 1994, a Brazoria County sheriff's sergeant came up with the idea of using gum ball machines to raise money for a memorial for fallen peace officers.

March 15 -- Oklahoma, Texas still can't agree where westernmost section of state line: WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) -- Though they agree in principal where most of the Texas-Oklahoma border lies, officials meeting this week near Vernon, Texas, still haven't resolved the boundary along the westernmost 80 miles of the Red River.

March 15 -- Foes try to outmaneuver Continental on Japan slots: HOUSTON (AP) -- Rival airlines are maneuvering against Continental in an attempt to receive authority from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly coveted U.S.-Japan routes.

March 15 -- Hidalgo County residents seem no closer to receiving grant for sewage system: LA JOYA, Texas (AP) -- In many parts of Western Hidalgo County, there is only one sewage system and often times it seems to run right through Alicia Montes' backyard.

March 14 -- Clinic had no duty in AIDS confidentiality case, court rules: AUSTIN (AP) -- A San Antonio clinic had no duty to tell a former patient's fiance that the patient might have been exposed to the virus that causes AIDS, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday.

March 14 -- Bush, Morales exchange words again: AUSTIN (AP) -- Republican Gov. George W. Bush and Democratic Attorney General Dan Morales still don't see eye-to-eye over the state's tobacco lawsuit.

March 14 -- Spring Breakers and all that comes with them flock to South Padre: SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) -- To most Spring Breakers, no matter which side of 21 they fall, their week away from school means activities centered around alcohol.

March 14 -- Texas nuke dump case wraps up, rebuttal to follow: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- After seven weeks, more than three dozen witnesses and countless hours of sometimes tedious testimony, state officials have heard plenty of reasons why they should and shouldn't approve a radioactive dump in West Texas.

March 14 -- Former judge indicted for aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child: DENTON, Texas (AP) -- A former state district judge has been indicted for aggravated sexual assault and two counts of indecency with a child.

March 14 -- Texas inmate found guilty in deaths of two Houston Grand Opera singers: HOUSTON (AP) -- A Brazoria County inmate has been found guilty of capital murder in the 1988 bludgeoning and stabbing deaths of two Houston Grand Opera tenors.

March 14 -- Health department changes hotline: AUSTIN (AP) -- A special telephone hotline established to handle calls about the outbreak of invasive group A streptococcal illness is being changed, the Texas Department of Health said Friday.

March 14 -- Morales: Veterans tuition law probably unconstitutional: AUSTIN (AP) -- A University of Texas law school graduate has asked a federal judge to rule a part of state law granting free college tuition to certain veterans unconstitutional.

March 14 -- Train cars waiting to cross into Mexico stretch from Laredo to Houston: DALLAS (AP) -- Thousands of railroad cars waiting to cross into Mexico are backing up in South Texas, further slowing Union Pacific's attempts to clear a backlog across the nation's biggest rail freight network.

March 13 -- Tobacco attorneys spend $1,995 for charter airplane, $952 for lunch: DALLAS (AP) -- The private attorneys who helped Texas fight Big Tobacco spent $952 on one lunch and $1,995 to charter an airplane -- and that's while they were required to submit expense reports. New group forms to fight tobacco attorney fees

March 13 -- Cruise ship company bringing newer, bigger ship to sail from Houston: HOUSTON (AP) -- Norwegian Cruise Line, denying it was bowing to bad press in the wake of a problem-plagued cruise late last year, said Thursday it was bringing a newer and bigger ship to Houston for its weekly Caribbean cruises.

March 13 -- 16-year-old legal immigrant nearly deported: DALLAS (AP) - A 16-year-old girl who joined her mother working at a silk-screening business to make extra money during spring break was nearly deported, even though she legally lives in the United States.

March 13 -- Experts pinpoint gene linked to obesity in Hispanics, blacks: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A gene that appears to have a major effect on obesity in both Hispanics and blacks by regulating the hormone leptin has been pinpointed, San Antonio researchers say.

March 13 -- No such thing as secret ballot in King County for GOP's lone voter: WICHITA FALLS, Texas (AP) -- Want to know how Junior Daniel voted in this week's primary? Just look at the King County election results.

March 13 -- Coastal display possible for shipwreck artifacts: AUSTIN (AP) -- State historical commission executives and officials from some Texas coastal counties have taken the first steps toward resolving a dispute over 300-year-old artifacts from wrecked ships belonging to the French explorer La Salle.

March 13 -- 3-year-old gets strep A; doctors study outbreak: AUSTIN (AP) -- Travis County has stepped up its investigation into an invasive group A streptococcus outbreak after a 3-year-old girl became the county's 20th case.

March 12 -- Ag commissioner race a duel between experience and financing: DALLAS (AP) -- While money and experience clinched primary elections for Texas agriculture commissioner, each candidate now holds a distinct advantage in only one category.

March 12 -- Cornyn, Williamson campaign against each other: AUSTIN (AP) -- The final battle for the Republican attorney general nomination presents a choice between a former judge touting his legal experience and a state regulator promising to crack down on gangs and drugs.

March 12 -- One judge secures spot; others headed to April runoffs, November election: DALLAS (AP) -- Lawrence E. Meyers does not have to worry about a runoff election in April or a general election in November.

March 12 -- Dewhurst wins GOP nomination for land commissioner: AUSTIN (AP) -- Houston businessman David Dewhurst upped the ante in the Republican primary for land commissioner, and it paid off.

March 12 -- Eight legislative races headed to runoff: AUSTIN (AP) -- Two incumbents and a handful of would-be state lawmakers will vie once more of their parties' nominations in runoff elections April 14.

March 12 -- In today's campaigns, TV rules: AUSTIN (AP) -- Looking at the results of the primaries, one political consultant needed only two words to sum up the secret to success in modern Texas campaigns. "TV rules," he said.

March 12 -- Professor says low voter turnout wasn't unexpected: DALLAS (AP) -- One year ago, English teacher Kim Coffman's students at Woodrow Wilson High School persuaded her to register to vote.

March 12 -- Jury seated in City Council bribery trial: HOUSTON (AP) -- A jury was seated Wednesday in the trial of two city councilmen and four former officials accused of arranging or taking bribes in connection with a hotel construction project.

March 12 -- Convicted arsonist facing execution for fatal 1979 Fort Worth-area blaze: HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A man once court-martialed from the Army for desertion was put to death Wednesday night for setting a fire 19 years ago that killed a woman in the Fort Worth area.

March 12 -- Court places new burden on criminal defendants: AUSTIN (AP) -- The Court of Criminal Appeals on Wednesday reversed previous rulings regarding the statute of limitations, requiring now that criminal defendants challenge the timing of the charges against them before or during trial.

March 12 -- Some Texas peaches in peril from late cold snap: A late-winter cold snap thinned out some of the Texas peach crop after repeated freezes damaged tender buds on the Hill Country's claims to fame, agricultural experts and growers said Wednesday.

March 12 -- Texas state agencies face severe shortage of computer professionals: AUSTIN (AP) -- There are plenty of computer programmers in Austin. Trouble is, they don't work for the public sector.

March 12 -- Judges rules against winner seeking to keep name secret: AUSTIN (AP) -- The identity of an $11.4 million lottery jackpot winner cannot be kept secret, a state judge ruled Wednesday.

March 12 -- AFL-CIO television ad campaign comes to Texas: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The AFL-CIO came to an elementary school in San Antonio on Wednesday to launch the latest television ad in its national campaign to improve the image of unions.

March 11 -- Election results

March 11 -- Tobacco companies threaten to nix settlement: HOUSTON (AP) - Tobacco companies are threatening to scrap their $15.3 billion settlement with the state unless it protects them from smoking-related health claims brought by local governments, the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday.

March 11 -- Success in border arrests crowding justice system: TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Border Patrol agents are catching so many illegal entrants, courthouses here and along the state border are overflowing with chaotic crowds and overworked government employees.

March 11 -- Texas-Oklahoma state line debate nearing end: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The 195-year-old question of exactly where the Red River divides Texas and Oklahoma could finally be settled before the turn of the century, officials from both states said Tuesday.

March 11 -- East Texas pharmacist pleads guilty to wife's murder: RUSK, Texas (AP) - An East Texas pharmacist who had claimed that his wife killed herself last June now admits he killed her to avoid losing his children in a divorce and custody battle.

March 11 -- Kos' statement ruled admissible in criminal trial: DALLAS (AP) - A tape recording of suspended Catholic priest Rudolph Kos admitting that he had sex with several boys is admissible before jurors, a judge presiding over his criminal trial has decided.

March 11 -- No cold damage reported yet to Texas peach crop, winter wheat: COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Texas peach growers said only time will tell the effects of the freezing temperatures which hit Texas early this week, reports the Texas Agricultural Extension Service.

March 11 -- Grand jury to review allegations that prison officer had sex with female inmates: LIBERTY, Texas (AP) - A Liberty County grand jury will consider allegations Wednesday that the chief security officer at the Lucile Plane State Jail had sex with four female inmates.

March 11 -- Woman said she was drugged by Sera: WARREN, Ark. (AP) - A prosecutor says a Texas businessman followed "a blueprint" to drug and rape women while a defense attorney says the man only exercised bad judgment in videotaping himself having sex with the women.

March 11 -- Vets offer alternative medicine for pets: LUMBERTON, Texas - The patient lay belly-down on the examination table as the doctor began inserting hair-thin needles up and down her back.

March 10 -- Health-human services commissioner quits: AUSTIN (AP) - The state's health and human services commissioner resigned Monday.

March 10 -- Court rejects Houston defendant's challenge to clinic access law: (AP) - A Texas man convicted of violating a federal law that protects access to abortion clinics lost a Supreme Court appeal Monday, one in which he mounted a sweeping challenge to the law's constitutionality.

March 10 -- Federal report: eye bank did not follow safeguards on corneas for transplant: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Some corneas supplied to people in need of a transplant may have come from high-risk donors, according to federal regulators who are investigating the Lions' Organ and Eye Bank.

March 10 -- Parking officers learn to stay cool as drivers fume: DALLAS - They tried to prepare him, but Russell Finley didn't fully understand the nature of his new job until the day a delivery truck driver, purple with rage, chased him down the block and screamed in his face.

March 10 -- Disabled vet arraigned after 14-hour standoff at VA center: WACO, Texas (AP) - A Vietnam veteran says his anger at federal veterans officials' bureaucratic indifference to his disability led him into a 14-hour standoff with authorities.

March 10 -- American Airlines co-pilot dies of heart failure after emergency landing: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - An American Airlines co-pilot died of a heart attack after his plane, en route from Dallas-Fort Worth to Ontario, Calif., had to make an emergency landing at Lubbock International Airport.

March 10 -- Rap fans storm ticket takers: HOUSTON (AP) - Police were investigating a weekend disturbance during a rap concert where about 200 ticketless fans rushed the doors of Compaq Center.

March 9 -- Texans split on using public funds for private school attendance: Texans are divided over using taxpayer money to let public school students attend private schools, according to The Scripps Howard Texas Poll. But a majority of state residents are willing to give vouchers a try when they are limited to students in low-performing public schools.

March 9 -- Veteran holds police at bay for 14 hours over benefits complaint: WACO - A veteran armed with a rifle and what he said were explosives crashed his car through a gate at a Veterans Affairs office Sunday and held police off for 14 hours before giving up.

March 9 -- El Paso no longer the great Democratic stronghold: EL PASO, Texas (AP) - When the rest of the state was backing Bob Dole for president, this town was helping elect Bill Clinton. Phil Gramm? Forget it. The city wanted upstart candidate Victor Morales in the U.S. Senate.

March 9 -- Felines discover businesses are a purr-fect place to live: SAN ANTONIO - Like a lot of folks, Tucker wakes up early and gets ready to go to work. Unlike most, however, Tucker is a cat. He commutes in a pink rubber crate.

March 9 -- Transplanted Texan a late-blooming pop artist: AUSTIN (AP) - Shawn Colvin putters around her Lake Austin home, getting organized for a solo acoustic concert tour that starts in New Hampshire on Sunday.

March 9 -- Texas sculptor's works reflect deep love of horsemanship and the West: KERRVILLE, Texas - Sculptor Jim Reno has added yet another honor to a long list of awards and recognitions - Texas Artist of the Year, bestowed upon him last month by the Texas Legislature.

March 9 -- Mother reunites with daughter after 17 years: ORANGE, Texas - Marine Carter used her fingers to caress her daughter's face and then she moved her hands through the youngster's hair as though she was holding a newborn baby in her arms.

March 8 -- Judge rules that TABC cannot enforce Morales' ban on eight-liners: AUSTIN (AP) -- The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission cannot go after the liquor licenses of businesses with eight-liner machines, a federal judge has ruled.

March 8 -- Hindu's cremation delay results in federal lawsuit: HOUSTON (AP) -- The soul of a Hindu woman is in peril because Brazoria County's district attorney delayed the cremation of her body, her bereaved husband contends in a federal lawsuit.

March 8 -- Brownsville export company owner arraigned in Freon smuggling charge: HOUSTON (AP) -- An owner of a Brownsville export company has been arraigned in Houston on charges he smuggled 18 tons of the banned refrigerant Freon into the United States.

March 8 -- Feds seize drug-plagued hotel, but file no charges against owners: HOUSTON (AP) -- The Red Carpet Inn on the city's southwest side is under new management -- by the federal government.

March 8 -- Starr County convictions add to South Texas corruption reputation: RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas (AP) -- When Starr County Sheriff Eugenio "Gene" Falcon and five officials pleaded guilty in rapid succession to federal conspiracy charges, some citizens were surprised -- by the admissions of guilt, not the crimes.

March 8 -- Clinton's job approval at all-time high in Texas: More Texans than ever approve of President Clinton's job performance in the White House, but their opinion of him as a person is among the lowest since he took office, according to The Scripps Howard Texas Poll.

March 7 -- Most Texans favor tobacco settlement; don't like lawyers' cut: Sixty-four percent of Texans favor the state's $15.3 billion settlement with the nation's cigarette makers, according to The Scripps Howard Texas Poll.

March 7 -- Bullocks quits voucher group: AUSTIN (AP) -- Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, upset with a fund-raising letter that seeks "a Republican majority" in the Texas House and ouster of its Democratic speaker, has resigned as honorary head of a group pushing for school vouchers.

March 7 -- Board approves 41 more charter schools: AUSTIN (AP) -- The number of independent charter schools -- which are publicly funded but free from many state regulations -- will be more than tripled from 19 to 60 under action taken Friday by the State Board of Education.

March 7 -- Judge orders further studies on golf course's impact on environment: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A judge has ordered the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct additional studies of the environmental impact of a proposed Lake Jackson golf course.

March 7 -- Murder suspects say mentally impaired victim was 'easy mark': EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) -- Michael Hall and Robert Neville Jr. initially set out to kill a black person. According to Hall, they thought they might kill five or 10 people -- just for kicks.

March 7 -- Special education student strapped to chair with jacket: LAREDO, Texas (AP) -- An 8-year-old special education student was strapped to his chair for his own safety after he was running around the classroom, his teacher and other officials say.

March 7 -- Texans alarmed as strep A death toll mounts: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- After hearing reports of a strep infection that has killed 18 Texans since Dec. 1, Sandy McFaul was taking no chances when her 3-year-old developed a 103-degree fever, a rash and sore throat.

March 7 -- Accused teen-age vandals claim to be vampires: DALLAS (AP) -- Lynetta Littleton's eldest son was listening as four teen-agers claiming to be vampires partied loudly overnight before starting what law officers call a drug-fueled rampage.

March 6 -- Austin library testing plan for adults-only Internet access: AUSTIN (AP) -- The Austin Public Library is about to begin an experiment that gives adults unfettered access to the Internet while preventing children from viewing sexually explicit material on library computers.

March 6 -- Medical officials warn about particular problems with A strep on border: EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- The strep infection that has killed 18 people in Texas poses a unique threat on the border, where many residents are prone to treat themselves with products bought in Mexico, a health official says.

March 6 -- Starr County sheriff pleads guilty to bribery charge: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- The 17-year reign of Starr County Sheriff Gene Falcon has apparently come to an inglorious end.

March 6 -- Court weights whether company liable in rape case: AUSTIN (AP) -- A vacuum-cleaner company requires its products to be sold through in-home demonstrations. Does it then have a duty to require its distributors to do background checks on the salesmen they hire?

March 6 -- FTC targets companies claiming to repair bad credit ratings: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Twenty companies falsely claimed they can repair a consumer's bad credit rating for a fee, the government alleged Thursday in complaints filed in federal courts nationwide.

March 6 -- Matagorda County candidates owe taxes: VICTORIA, Texas (AP) -- More than one-fifth of the candidates for Matagorda County offices in Tuesday's primary owe past-due property taxes individually or for their businesses.

March 6 -- Nine candidates vying for seat long held by Gonzalez: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez's impending retirement has a crowded field of candidates scrambling to succeed the 81-year-old maverick Democrat.

March 6 -- Man sentenced to 30 years for hate-crime shooting: TYLER, Texas (AP) -- A Brownsboro man who bragged to his friends about "queer-hunting" was sentenced to 30 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for shooting a man just because he was gay.

March 6 -- Opening statements begin in Republic of Texas fraud case: DALLAS (AP) -- Texas separatist Richard McLaren and eight followers attempted a monumental takeover of state assets by issuing $1.8 billion in phony money, a federal prosecutor said today.

March 6 -- Church followers await God's arrival in suburban Dallas: GARLAND, Texas (AP) -- Heng-ming Chen says shining, golden balls of light floated down from the sky and told him God was coming to suburban Dallas.

March 5 -- Candidates' tactics take a nasty turn: AUSTIN - Texas Republicans have resorted to name-calling, push polls and half-truths in an 11th hour feud to win Texas GOP primary elections.

March 5 -- Mauro says Bush flip-flopping on doctor choice issue: AUSTIN (AP) - Democratic challenger Garry Mauro is accusing Republican Gov. George W. Bush of flip-flopping on giving Texans greater choice in choosing their doctors.

March 5 -- Bar polls little value for voters in next week's primary, critics say: HOUSTON (AP) - Those judicial candidate surveys conducted by Texas lawyer associations have questionable value for voters in next week's primary, the Texas Journal of The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

March 5 -- Jury selection continues in Republic of Texas fraud case: DALLAS (AP) - Prospective jurors in the $1.8 billion bank and mail fraud case against a separatist group's leader and eight followers returned today to federal court where a judge began individually questioning the panelists.

March 5 -- After six months, no sign of parents of abandoned Childress tot: CHILDRESS, Texas (AP) - As authorities begin adoption procedures for a baby girl abandoned on the back porch of a local clinic six months ago, the identities of her parents remain a complete mystery.

March 5 -- Two more 'veggie libel' suits taking wing: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - If "veggie libel" laws really are for the birds, the next two cases could prove it. The Texas cattlemen's case against Oprah Winfrey was supposed to be the first major test of food defamation laws, but the judge turned it into a routine business dispute.

March 5 -- Another strep infection death; total reaches 18 statewide: HOUSTON (AP) - A 5-year-old Houston-area boy has died from a virulent bacterial infection caused by group A streptococcus, bringing to 18 the number of recent strep deaths across Texas, a health official said Wednesday.

March 5 -- Early bloom of bluebonnets anticipated due to warm, wet winter: DALLAS - Folks are fretting in the tiny Central Texas town of Chappell Hill. Everything's coming up bluebonnets - and the "Official State of Texas Bluebonnet Festival" is still a month away.

March 5 -- Judge warns IRS that bungling excuse only goes so far: AUSTIN (AP) - A federal judge warned the Internal Revenue Service that it must do a better job of responding to discrimination complaints by a group of Christian fundamentalist employees, but he declined to issue an injunction to protect the employees' rights.

March 5 -- Capital murder trial for Amarillo woman begins: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - The first woman to be tried for capital murder in Texas since Karla Faye Tucker's execution last month quivered and cried as proceedings began in Canyon.

March 5 -- Time capsule idea very distressing: ODESSA, Texas - Driving to work the other day, I heard on the radio that our homes were the time capsules of the future. Much like the telling fossils of the dinosaur - our homes could be dug up or discovered thousands of years from now to give a glimpse into our way of life.

March 5 -- Faculty group says chancellor, president raises 'out of line': AUSTIN (AP) - Pay raises for top university executives are demoralizing to the schools' faculty and staff members, a group representing those employees said Wednesday. The Texas Faculty Association released a salary survey based on data it obtained through the Texas Public Information Act.

March 4 -- Public-private program to provide AIDS drugs: AUSTIN (AP) -- State health officials announced a public-private program Tuesday that they say will help people with the virus that causes AIDS to cope with the high costs of new drug therapies.

March 4 -- Gov. Bush on parenthood: Nothing is more important: SEGUIN, Texas (AP) -- When it comes to parenthood, Gov. George W. Bush says he learned from the best.

March 4 -- Board to honor three 'heroes': AUSTIN (AP) -- Three people who volunteer at public schools -- including the commanding general of Fort Bliss Army Air Defense Center -- are being honored as Heroes for Children by the State Board of Education.

March 4 -- Safety report questions safety of Pantex's plutonium stores: AMARILLO, Texas (AP) -- The Energy Department's Pantex Plant needs to make its plutonium storage program safer and more cost efficient, a government report has concluded.

March 4 -- Perot's Reform Party turning to telemarketing to raise funds: DALLAS (AP) -- The Reform Party, which has been attempting to wean itself from billionaire Ross Perot's financial help, is now using a telemarketing firm to dial for dollars.

March 4 -- Woman accused in murder-for-hire plot in jail pending judge's decision: BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- A federal judge is deciding whether to allow bond for a woman again put behind bars on charges she arranged the killing of daughter's ex-boyfriend.

March 4 -- Teen-ager's murder case leads to lawsuit over health insurance: SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The afternoon Janet Ward was shot to death in her kitchen, police found her 16-year-old daughter Maggie Ward curled up in a car, her hands covering her ears.

March 4 -- Judge delays enforcement of no-touch law for topless clubs: HOUSTON (AP) -- Topless dancers can touch their Houston customers, but only until April 1, a federal judge has ruled.

March 4 -- Dismantled remains of stolen trucks found on land of lottery winners: CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) -- The dismantled remains of two stolen trucks valued at around $28,000 each have been found buried on land owned by a family that won more than $19 million in the Texas Lottery.

March 4 -- Morales asks Bush to meet: AUSTIN (AP) -- Trying to finalize Texas' proposed $15.3 billion settlement in a tobacco lawsuit, Attorney General Dan Morales wants to find a way to address Gov. George W. Bush's concerns over legal fees in the case.

March 4 -- Jury selection continues in Republic of Texas fraud case: DALLAS (AP) -- Other criminal cases kept U.S. District Judge Joe Fish from seating a jury Tuesday in the case against Republic of Texas leader Richard McLaren and eight followers.

March 3 -- Neighbors tell priest to shut down chapel in his house: CONROE, Texas (AP) -- An ordained priest who turned his garage into a church is under pressure from his neighbors to find another place of worship.

March 3 -- Millionaire's attorneys seek to have contested will settled in Galveston: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A judge Monday gave attorneys until the end of the week to file briefs on whether he should transfer all legal challenges to the contested will of a 68-year-old millionaire to his court in Galveston County.

March 3 -- Harris County Sheriff's Office spends $570,000 a year to lease cars: HOUSTON (AP) -- The Harris County Sheriff's Department is spending more than $570,000 a year in seized criminal assets to lease at least 70 new cars, trucks and vans for undercover operations.

March 3 -- Jury selection under way in Republic of Texas fraud case: DALLAS (AP) -- Potential jurors who will decide whether Republic of Texas leader Richard McLaren and eight followers committed bank and mail fraud were asked Monday about their dealings with the government.

March 3 -- Senate agrees on highway spending levels: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate leaders agreed Monday to a proposal by Sen. Phil Gramm that would earmark a portion of the gasoline tax currently used for reducing the deficit to substantially boost spending on highway construction.

March 3 -- Hot line for strep has busy weekend: AUSTIN (AP) -- A telephone hotline set up to answer questions about a deadly strain of strep bacteria got a rash of calls over the weekend.

March 3 -- Southwestern Bell seeks long-distance OK: AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Southwestern Bell wants permission to enter the long-distance telephone market in Texas.

March 2 -- Talk show host: transformed in Texas Panhandle: AMARILLO - Oprah Winfrey says her life was transformed by her six-week stay in Amarillo, a place she wasn't sure she wanted to come after hearing about the unkind bumper stickers being printed about her.

March 2 -- Helpful neighbor named as lead suspect in 6-year-old kidnapping case: AMARILLO (AP) - A man who volunteered to help police find a 5-year-old girl who had disappeared from her back yard in 1992 has now been named as the prime suspect in the murder case.

March 2 -- Secretary of State targeting new voters: AUSTIN (AP) - Al wants you - to vote. OK, so it's not the most original or inspiring slogan. But new Secretary of State Al Gonzales is searching high and low for ways to get more Texans to the ballot box.

March 2 -- Early black marshal was devoted to the law that later failed him: DALLAS - Texas-born Bass Reeves roamed the American West for more than three decades, chasing murderers, thieves and whiskey smugglers. He usually either found his outlaw or left him dead.

March 2 -- Tutors help give immigrants hope for new life: SHERMAN, Texas - At age 17, Khamsavanh "Kham" Sansavath came to the United States from Laos carrying not much more than a change of clothes and a few pieces of fruit. Always saying education was the key to success, in December he graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with a bachelor's degree. "The only way I can support myself is through education," Kham said.

March 2 -- Houston's first openly gay elected official settles into new role: HOUSTON (AP) - A running joke in Annise Parker's camp during her run for Houston City Council came from a caller's reaction to her television campaign commercial. "She looks just like some suburban housewife," the viewer said. Parker didn't mind the comparison. "That's what I wanted to convey. I'm just like everybody else when it comes to the issues that I'm concerned about," Parker, 41, said. "Because I happen to be gay doesn't mean that I have a shaved head and wear Doc Martens, either."

March 2 -- Expert helps Houston firefighters fight emotional trauma: HOUSTON - Combat stress, emotional aftershock, combat fatigue - all are words that can describe what Houston firefighters and emergency personnel may have to cope with any given day. The Houston Fire Department has brought on board its first ever staff psychologist to help the department of 3,200 firefighters cope with such possible emotional trauma.

March 1 -- Teen convicted of aggravated assault for dropping barbell through car windshield: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- A teenager who hurled a barbell through the windshield of a moving car and seriously injured the driver faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated assault.

March 1 -- Change of venue requested in former Air Force Academy cadet's trial: FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Attorneys for David Graham are asking that the former Air Force Academy cadet's capital murder trial be moved from Tarrant County.

March 1 -- Judge issues injunctions: LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Prosecutors in Lubbock will have to rely on the law -- not an attorney general's opinion -- when determining whether eight-liner gambling casinos are illegal, a judge ruled.

March 1 -- Man who deserted family 15 years ago loses job at local radio station: GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- A man who deserted his family in 1983 and began a new life in Galveston under an assumed name has been fired from his job as manager of a local radio station.

March 1 -- Newly renovated park opens in time for Texas Independence Day: WASHINGTON, Texas (AP) -- A recent survey of visitors to Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park reveals few know it as the place where Texas became an independent nation 162 years ago.

March 1 -- Cheatin' hearts get time in classroom: AUSTIN (AP) --Southwest Texas State University students got a lesson on the perils of cheatin' this week, taught to the tune of some of country's music's famous tunes.

March 1 -- Five years after raid no ceremony is planned, but Davidians go on: WACO, Texas (AP) -- Five years ago, cattle trailers packed with federal agents circled the Central Texas compound of a little-known religious movement.