With a state as big and diverse as Texas, it is no surprise that during my travels to all corners of the state this month I have heard from Texans regarding a number of different topics. But the one thing that hasn’t changed, from Plano to El Paso, is that Texans are fed-up with the Democrat leaders’ refusal to address high gas and energy prices. When I return to Washington in September, you can be assured that I will continue to press for swift bipartisan action that brings down prices at the pump and addresses America’s energy needs comprehensively through increased domestic production of oil, promoting alternative sources of energy like wind and solar, and fighting illegal price manipulation.
Texans are also fed-up with high food and livestock feed prices as a result of the ethanol mandate enacted last year, which has unfortunately shifted the cost burden to ranchers and consumers. The Texas ranchers I have met with have told me about the historically high feed costs they are facing. In addition, non-profits I have visited, like the
Capital Area Food Bank in Austin, have told me they are struggling in their ability to help those in need. I believe it is crucial to take steps to help food and feed prices return to affordable levels. That’s why I support legislation calling for a temporary freeze on food-to-fuel mandates which will give officials more time to reassess renewable fuel research and production.
My travels across Texas this month have also given me a chance to meet with local law enforcement officials and discuss safety issues. The tragic bus accident in Sherman reminded us of the importance of bus safety, and I was fortunate for the opportunity to
meet with representatives from the West Brook Bus Crash Families in Beaumont to discuss what reforms must be enacted at the local, state and federal levels to ensure accidents like this don’t happen again.
Safety and security along our southern border with Mexico is another important issue for many Texans. Earlier this week I
visited the new state-of-the-art National Center for Border Security and Immigration at the University of Texas at El Paso and heard from officials about the exciting work they are doing there. I will continue to work on the federal level to secure funding and other resources to help them carry on their important work of keeping Texas families safe.
For more information on these and other topics, go directly to my Web site. To receive additional updates, please select the issues that interest you listed on the right. It’s an honor to serve you in the United States Senate.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator John Cornyn
The latest telephone survey taken by the Texas Governor's office, asked whether people who live in Texas think illegal immigration is a serious problem:
29% of respondents answered: 'Yes, it is a serious problem.'
71% of respondents answered: 'No es una problema seriosa.'
AP news story
By Martin Roberts
About 145 people were killed when a Spanish jet taking holidaymakers to the Canary Islands crashed on takeoff and burst into flames at Madrid airport on Wednesday, an emergency services spokesman said.
Smoke billowed up near Terminal Four from the remains of Spanair's Flight JK5022, an MD-82 jet bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
The 15-year-old plane, carrying 166 passengers and nine crew, shot off the runway at 2:45 pm local time (8:45 a.m. EDT), according to Spanair, and witnesses described a huge explosion.
"Only the tail was recognizable, there was wreckage scattered all over the place and dead bodies across a wide area. A lot of them were children," Herbigio Corral, who headed the rescue effort, told reporters.
There were only 28 survivors, he said.
Of the survivors, eight are in critical condition, an emergency services spokesman told national radio.
Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said the cause of the accident seemed to be "an error in takeoff." But Spanish media quoted sources as saying the plane's left engine, made by Pratt & Whitney, had caught fire.
The plane had left late after being delayed, El Mundo said.
The flight was a code-sharing operation with Lufthansa serving the Canary Islands, a popular holiday destination for tourists from throughout Europe.
Lufthansa said seven passengers with Lufthansa tickets, four of them from Germany, had checked in for the flight, and a Canary Islands official said passengers included Swedes and Dutch.
Thick columns of smoke rose into the air and police blocked off both ends of the Terminal Four runway, where more than 20 ambulances and many fire engines were stationed.
"I saw how the plane broke in two and a huge explosion," said Manuel Muela, who was driving past the airport when the crash occurred, according to newspaper El Mundo.
FLAG AT HALF MAST
Police escorted tearful relatives of passengers past reporters and dozens of workers identified as psychologists and social workers arrived at the terminal.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero interrupted his holidays and the Spanish Olympic Committee said the Spanish flag would fly at half mast in the Olympic village in Beijing. Spain's national soccer team wore black armbands at a friendly match with Denmark.
Spanair, which is owned by Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS), has been struggling with high fuel prices and tough competition during an economic slowdown. It announced it was laying off 1,062 staff and cutting routes to turn the airline around after losing $81 million in the first half of the year.
Hours before the crash, Spanair's pilots threatened to strike. SAS has been trying to sell Spanair since last year.
The MD-82 is a medium-range single-aisle plane, popular with regional airlines. It is a member of the MD-80 family of planes made by U.S. manufacturer Boeing Co.
American Airlines had to cancel 3,000 flights earlier this year after U.S. authorities ordered them to ground MD-80 series planes to check their wiring.
Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997, and the last of the MD-80 family rolled off its production line in 1999.
(Additional reporting by Paul Day, Jesus Aguado, Ben Harding, Inmaculada Sanz, Emma Pinedo, Bill Rigby and Simon Baskett; editing by Andrew Roche)
This is just so sad for the people on board the plane and their survivors.
From AP
An 85-year-old woman boldly went for her gun and busted a would-be burglar inside her home, then forced him to call police while she kept him in her sights, police said. "I just walked right on past him to the bedroom and got my gun," Leda Smith said.
Smith heard someone break into her home Monday afternoon and grabbed the .22-caliber revolver she had been keeping by her bed since a neighbor's home was burglarized a few weeks ago.
"I said 'What are you doing in my house?' He just kept saying he didn't do it," Smith said.
After the 17-year-old boy called 911, Smith kept holding the gun on him until state police arrived at her home in Springhill Township, about 45 miles south of Pittsburgh.
The boy will be charged with attempted burglary and related offenses in juvenile court, Trooper Christian Lieberum said. He was not identified because of his age.
"It was exciting," Smith said. "I just hope I broke up the (burglary) ring because they have been hitting a lot of places around here."
