WOLFFORTH, Texas (AP) — City Council candidate Bruce MacNair watched the coin rise into the air Friday. His opponent, Bryan Studer, kept his gaze on the carpeted floor to see how it landed.Within seconds, the silver dollar settled heads up, giving the City Council seat to MacNair, a 56-year-old church administrator. He had hoped to win his first election, but he said, “It never struck me that it would happen like this.”The two men agreed to settle the race for Wolfforth’s City Council with a coin toss after each received 118 votes in last weekend’s election. A run-off election would have cost the tiny town $10,000, a sum the men were eager to save.Wolfforth city manager Darrell Newsom said the candidates’ decision reflected their characters.”The term gentlemen comes to mind,” Newsom said. “It’s the gentlemanly thing to do, and they’re acting in a gentlemanly fashion.”Texas election law provides three options in the event of a tie: a runoff election, one candidate conceding or some form of casting lots.Coin tosses have decided races in other states, but it wasn’t clear whether it had happened in Texas. Officials with the Texas Municipal League did not immediately return a phone message Friday. It was certainly the first time a coin toss had been used in an election in Lubbock County, officials there said.MacNair and Studer, a vice president at the Wolfforth branch of a regional bank, shook hands after the toss.”He’ll do a good job for the city,” said Studer, 37.MacNair said he was glad the election was over.Wolfforth is a bedroom community near Lubbock with about 3,700 residents.The city attorney drew up a three-page contract outlining rules of the coin toss based on state election procedures for municipalities. Newsom said the municipal league had requested a copy of the contract in case another municipality ever faced a similar situation.
Article source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/Heads-wins-coin-toss-for-Texas-City-Council-seat-3569001.php
TYLER, Texas (AP) — An East Texas woman faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of capital murder for killing her mentally challenged baby sitter.Kimberly Cargill of Whitehouse was convicted on Friday after several hours of deliberations by a jury in Tyler. The punishment phase of the trial was set to begin Monday.The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/KhVkfs) prosecutors told jurors that Cargill killed Cherry Walker in 2010 to keep the baby sitter from testifying against her in a child custody hearing regarding Cargill’s 4-year-old son.The 45-year-old Cargill testified in her defense, telling jurors she panicked after Walker died from a seizure and she dumped her body and set it on fire.Whitehouse is about 110 miles east of Dallas.___Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com
Article source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/East-Texas-woman-convicted-in-baby-sitter-s-murder-3570164.php
Ten people were injured this afternoon when a large group of people wielding bats and hammers burst into a south suburban restaurant and attacked a group of diners, according to officials and witnesses. The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m. at the Ashford House Restaurant at 7959 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park, according to police and Mayor Ed Zabrocki. The mayor said about 12 to 15 people were having a meeting inside the restaurant when another group of 15 to 18 people, wearing hooded black jackets, attacked them. Zabrocki said it was not yet clear what connection there is between the two groups or what the motive may have been for the attack. Three people were taken to area hospitals while the remaining victims refused medical attention, police said. Five people believed to have been involved were being held at the Tinley Park police station this afternoon, according to Zabrocki.When police responded to the scene, the attackers fled in three vehicles, Tinley Park police said. One vehicle and its passengers were caught about five minutes later near the intersection of 159th and Harlem, while the other vehicles fled the area.Five people are in custody and are being questioned by police. Police confirm the attackers were seeking a specific group of people dining in the restaurant. A long-time waitress, who declined to give her name, said of the melee: “It was the scariest frickin’ day of my life.” The woman later said outside the restaurant that she first noticed the group of victims in the parking lot around 12:30 p.m., milling around some cars with out-of-state plates. The woman said they came to the restaurant as part of a reservation for 20 people, but none of them seemed to know each other. She also said that she was a little wary of the diners because they told her they were part of an Irish heritage group, though none spoke in an Irish dialect or with an accent. She went to the back of the restaurant to make salads and told another waitress to let her know if there was any trouble with the group. About 15 minutes later, the second waitress told the woman that there was a brawl in the restaurant. The woman said when she emerged, she saw the attacking group attacking patrons with bats and hammers. All the dishes and plates were knocked off the tables and smashed, and people were either lying on the ground bleeding or crouched behind tables, she said. She described one of the hammers left behind at the scene as a railroad hammer with a 24-inch handle. “They took out the whole restaurant,” she said. “It was absolutely horrible.” Another waitress said most of the attackers looked to be in their late teens. She also said the attackers screamed obscenities throughout the incident. At one point, the first woman said, the restaurant’s manager chased after an attacker who tried to flee but was struck from behind and beaten. The woman described the [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://chicagotribune.feedsportal.com/c/34253/f/622809/s/1f8308f9/l/0L0Schicagotribune0N0Cnews0Cchi0E10A0Einjured0Ein0Eattack0Eat0Etinley0Epark0Erestaurant0E20A120A5190H0A0H30A962340Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm
Ten people were injured this afternoon when a large group of people wielding bats and hammers burst into a south suburban restaurant and attacked a group of diners, according to officials and witnesses. The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m. at the Ashford House Restaurant at 7959 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park, according to police and Mayor Ed Zabrocki. The mayor said about 12 to 15 people were having a meeting inside the restaurant when another group of 15 to 18 people, wearing hooded black jackets, attacked them. Zabrocki said it was not yet clear what connection there is between the two groups or what the motive may have been for the attack. Three people were taken to area hospitals while the remaining victims refused medical attention, police said. Five people believed to have been involved were being held at the Tinley Park police station this afternoon, according to Zabrocki.When police responded to the scene, the attackers fled in three vehicles, Tinley Park police said. One vehicle and its passengers were caught about five minutes later near the intersection of 159th and Harlem, while the other vehicles fled the area.Five people are in custody and are being questioned by police. Police confirm the attackers were seeking a specific group of people dining in the restaurant. A long-time waitress, who declined to give her name, said of the melee: “It was the scariest frickin’ day of my life.” The woman later said outside the restaurant that she first noticed the group of victims in the parking lot around 12:30 p.m., milling around some cars with out-of-state plates. The woman said they came to the restaurant as part of a reservation for 20 people, but none of them seemed to know each other. She also said that she was a little wary of the diners because they told her they were part of an Irish heritage group, though none spoke in an Irish dialect or with an accent. She went to the back of the restaurant to make salads and told another waitress to let her know if there was any trouble with the group. About 15 minutes later, the second waitress told the woman that there was a brawl in the restaurant. The woman said when she emerged, she saw the attacking group attacking patrons with bats and hammers. All the dishes and plates were knocked off the tables and smashed, and people were either lying on the ground bleeding or crouched behind tables, she said. She described one of the hammers left behind at the scene as a railroad hammer with a 24-inch handle. “They took out the whole restaurant,” she said. “It was absolutely horrible.” Another waitress said most of the attackers looked to be in their late teens. She also said the attackers screamed obscenities throughout the incident. At one point, the first woman said, the restaurant’s manager chased after an attacker who tried to flee but was struck from behind and beaten. The woman described the [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://chicagotribune.feedsportal.com/c/34253/f/622809/s/1f8308f9/l/0L0Schicagotribune0N0Cnews0Cchi0E10A0Einjured0Ein0Eattack0Eat0Etinley0Epark0Erestaurant0E20A120A5190H0A0H30A962340Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm
Ten people were injured this afternoon when a large group of people wielding bats and hammers burst into a south suburban restaurant and attacked a group of diners, according to officials and witnesses. The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m. at the Ashford House Restaurant at 7959 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park, according to police and Mayor Ed Zabrocki. The mayor said about 12 to 15 people were having a meeting inside the restaurant when another group of 15 to 18 people, wearing hooded black jackets, attacked them. Zabrocki said it was not yet clear what connection there is between the two groups or what the motive may have been for the attack. Three people were taken to area hospitals while the remaining victims refused medical attention, police said. Five people believed to have been involved were being held at the Tinley Park police station this afternoon, according to Zabrocki.When police responded to the scene, the attackers fled in three vehicles, Tinley Park police said. One vehicle and its passengers were caught about five minutes later near the intersection of 159th and Harlem, while the other vehicles fled the area.Five people are in custody and are being questioned by police. Police confirm the attackers were seeking a specific group of people dining in the restaurant. A long-time waitress, who declined to give her name, said of the melee: “It was the scariest frickin’ day of my life.” The woman later said outside the restaurant that she first noticed the group of victims in the parking lot around 12:30 p.m., milling around some cars with out-of-state plates. The woman said they came to the restaurant as part of a reservation for 20 people, but none of them seemed to know each other. She also said that she was a little wary of the diners because they told her they were part of an Irish heritage group, though none spoke in an Irish dialect or with an accent. She went to the back of the restaurant to make salads and told another waitress to let her know if there was any trouble with the group. About 15 minutes later, the second waitress told the woman that there was a brawl in the restaurant. The woman said when she emerged, she saw the attacking group attacking patrons with bats and hammers. All the dishes and plates were knocked off the tables and smashed, and people were either lying on the ground bleeding or crouched behind tables, she said. She described one of the hammers left behind at the scene as a railroad hammer with a 24-inch handle. “They took out the whole restaurant,” she said. “It was absolutely horrible.” Another waitress said most of the attackers looked to be in their late teens. She also said the attackers screamed obscenities throughout the incident. At one point, the first woman said, the restaurant’s manager chased after an attacker who tried to flee but was struck from behind and beaten. The woman described the [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://chicagotribune.feedsportal.com/c/34253/f/622809/s/1f8308f9/l/0L0Schicagotribune0N0Cnews0Cchi0E10A0Einjured0Ein0Eattack0Eat0Etinley0Epark0Erestaurant0E20A120A5190H0A0H30A962340Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm
Ten people were injured this afternoon when a large group of people wielding bats and hammers burst into a south suburban restaurant and attacked a group of diners, according to officials and witnesses. The incident occurred around 12:45 p.m. at the Ashford House Restaurant at 7959 W. 159th St. in Tinley Park, according to police and Mayor Ed Zabrocki. The mayor said about 12 to 15 people were having a meeting inside the restaurant when another group of 15 to 18 people, wearing hooded black jackets, attacked them. Zabrocki said it was not yet clear what connection there is between the two groups or what the motive may have been for the attack. Three people were taken to area hospitals while the remaining victims refused medical attention, police said. Five people believed to have been involved were being held at the Tinley Park police station this afternoon, according to Zabrocki.When police responded to the scene, the attackers fled in three vehicles, Tinley Park police said. One vehicle and its passengers were caught about five minutes later near the intersection of 159th and Harlem, while the other vehicles fled the area.Five people are in custody and are being questioned by police. Police confirm the attackers were seeking a specific group of people dining in the restaurant. A long-time waitress, who declined to give her name, said of the melee: “It was the scariest frickin’ day of my life.” The woman later said outside the restaurant that she first noticed the group of victims in the parking lot around 12:30 p.m., milling around some cars with out-of-state plates. The woman said they came to the restaurant as part of a reservation for 20 people, but none of them seemed to know each other. She also said that she was a little wary of the diners because they told her they were part of an Irish heritage group, though none spoke in an Irish dialect or with an accent. She went to the back of the restaurant to make salads and told another waitress to let her know if there was any trouble with the group. About 15 minutes later, the second waitress told the woman that there was a brawl in the restaurant. The woman said when she emerged, she saw the attacking group attacking patrons with bats and hammers. All the dishes and plates were knocked off the tables and smashed, and people were either lying on the ground bleeding or crouched behind tables, she said. She described one of the hammers left behind at the scene as a railroad hammer with a 24-inch handle. “They took out the whole restaurant,” she said. “It was absolutely horrible.” Another waitress said most of the attackers looked to be in their late teens. She also said the attackers screamed obscenities throughout the incident. At one point, the first woman said, the restaurant’s manager chased after an attacker who tried to flee but was struck from behind and beaten. The woman described the [...] Continue Reading…
Article source: http://chicagotribune.feedsportal.com/c/34253/f/622809/s/1f8308f9/l/0L0Schicagotribune0N0Cnews0Cchi0E10A0Einjured0Ein0Eattack0Eat0Etinley0Epark0Erestaurant0E20A120A5190H0A0H30A962340Bstory0Dtrack0Frss/story01.htm
TYLER, Texas (AP) — An East Texas woman faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of capital murder for killing her mentally challenged baby sitter.Kimberly Cargill of Whitehouse was convicted on Friday after several hours of deliberations by a jury in Tyler. The punishment phase of the trial was set to begin Monday.The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/KhVkfs) prosecutors told jurors that Cargill killed Cherry Walker in 2010 to keep the baby sitter from testifying against her in a child custody hearing regarding Cargill’s 4-year-old son.The 45-year-old Cargill testified in her defense, telling jurors she panicked after Walker died from a seizure and she dumped her body and set it on fire.Whitehouse is about 110 miles east of Dallas.___Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com
Article source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/East-Texas-woman-convicted-in-baby-sitter-s-murder-3570164.php
TYLER, Texas (AP) — An East Texas woman faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of capital murder for killing her mentally challenged baby sitter.Kimberly Cargill of Whitehouse was convicted on Friday after several hours of deliberations by a jury in Tyler. The punishment phase of the trial was set to begin Monday.The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/KhVkfs) prosecutors told jurors that Cargill killed Cherry Walker in 2010 to keep the baby sitter from testifying against her in a child custody hearing regarding Cargill’s 4-year-old son.The 45-year-old Cargill testified in her defense, telling jurors she panicked after Walker died from a seizure and she dumped her body and set it on fire.Whitehouse is about 110 miles east of Dallas.___Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com
Article source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/East-Texas-woman-convicted-in-baby-sitter-s-murder-3570164.php
TYLER, Texas (AP) — An East Texas woman faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of capital murder for killing her mentally challenged baby sitter.Kimberly Cargill of Whitehouse was convicted on Friday after several hours of deliberations by a jury in Tyler. The punishment phase of the trial was set to begin Monday.The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/KhVkfs) prosecutors told jurors that Cargill killed Cherry Walker in 2010 to keep the baby sitter from testifying against her in a child custody hearing regarding Cargill’s 4-year-old son.The 45-year-old Cargill testified in her defense, telling jurors she panicked after Walker died from a seizure and she dumped her body and set it on fire.Whitehouse is about 110 miles east of Dallas.___Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com
Article source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/East-Texas-woman-convicted-in-baby-sitter-s-murder-3570164.php
TYLER, Texas (AP) — An East Texas woman faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of capital murder for killing her mentally challenged baby sitter.Kimberly Cargill of Whitehouse was convicted on Friday after several hours of deliberations by a jury in Tyler. The punishment phase of the trial was set to begin Monday.The Tyler Morning Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/KhVkfs) prosecutors told jurors that Cargill killed Cherry Walker in 2010 to keep the baby sitter from testifying against her in a child custody hearing regarding Cargill’s 4-year-old son.The 45-year-old Cargill testified in her defense, telling jurors she panicked after Walker died from a seizure and she dumped her body and set it on fire.Whitehouse is about 110 miles east of Dallas.___Information from: Tyler Morning Telegraph, http://www.tylerpaper.com
Article source: http://www.chron.com/news/article/East-Texas-woman-convicted-in-baby-sitter-s-murder-3570164.php