Tweet of the Day

Season two of True Detective is over. Here’s hoping season three will be better, i.e. based here and starring our local heroes:

Monday Revive

Rest easy, Houston lovers of vandalism with vaguely feel-good messages. After someone painted over the now-iconic “Be Someone” graffiti to read “Be One,” last week, parties unknown corrected the problem just a short time later. As the Houston Chronicle wrote, “the alteration caused a mix of disappointed, anger and “don’t care” from the thousands of downtown commuters who see the sign each day.”

Daily Roundup

Deaths in Texas — In Fort Worth a man with “a violent criminal history,” as the Star-Telegram put it, shot and killed eight people, execution style, six of whom were children. The shooting took place at the home of the man’s former wife. “Authorities were first alerted Saturday about a problem at the home when a relative of [the deceased woman] contacted the sheriff’s office to request a welfare check.” The police’s first attempt to take control the situation was met with gunfire. “A standoff ensued for several hours between [David] Conley and authorities until Conley surrendered. … Authorities declined to comment on assault charges Conley had faced in the past or what prompted relatives to worry and request that deputies be sent to the home on Saturday.” Just down the road, comes news that might add to the national debate about authorities’ use of force, particularly against minorities. An unarmed college football player who was fatally shot by an officer in Texas did not comply with initial calls to surrender,” writes CNN. “The officer involved was in the last stages of his field training when he shot Christian Taylor, 19, multiple times at a car dealership in Arlington.” Details are still slim, but “footage released by a security company after the incident shows a man described as Taylor wandering around the dealership lot. In the video, he kicks out the windshield of a car on the lot.” The Associated Press reports that the “FBI has been asked to help investigate.”

And They’re Off (Forever?) — So much for going to the tracks, which seem to have suddenly fallen apart. “The state agency that oversees Texas horse and dog racing tracks has abruptly begun preparing to shut down, raising the stakes of a political fight that could cripple a multi-million dollar industry,” reports the Chronicle. “Texas Racing Commission officials have stopped signing off on new races and started warning that the agency will shutter by the end of the month unless the Legislative Budget Board approves a funding request.” The decision is part of a drawn-out fight (read: bickering power play) between the TRC and the Legislature over “historical racing,” a slot-machine like game in which participants blindly bet on previous races. The TRC will basically shut down at the end of the month if it doesn’t get what it wants, so it’s a pretty wild gamble. “The warning nevertheless … plunged Harris County’s Sam Houston Race Park and others around the state into unexpected uncertainty. State law requires commission staff to attend each race, so closure could leave the tracks unable to operate.” If some one doesn’t blink, it would be a noticeable dent in the state coffers. “Overall, the tracks contribute about 36,000 jobs and $5 billion to the Texas economy, according to the industry.”

Throttle Up — We may finally begin to learn more details about the Waco biker shootout in May. On Friday, the 10th Court of Appeals ruled that “a judge abused his discretion by imposing a media blackout” in the case of one related lawsuit.  “[Judge Matt] Johnson granted the state’s request for the gag order after [Matthew] Clendennen’s attorney, Clint Broden … gained access to video of the deadly shootout captured by Don Carlos restaurant cameras by issuing a subpoena to Twin Peaks.” In his appeal, supported by numerous news organizations and Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, Broden “argued that because his client has not been indicted, the judge had no jurisdiction to impose a gag order.” So now we’re going to know everything about the case, right?! Not so fast. While the Chronicle has a piece headlined “Documents shed light on police concerns over biker showdown,” it’s a little overly optimistic. True, there are now a few more details about already known incidents leading up to the shootout. And there’s mounting suspicion that police were more than a little ready for a showdown of some sort at Twin Peaks, but “police have not yet released ballistics reports that would confirm who was responsible for each death.” That said, “more details may be forthcoming this month, as preliminary hearings for those accused are set for mid-August.”

Runner’s High — People in Juárez were feeling really buzzed this weekend, but it wasn’t that kind of buzz! A thousand runners participated in a 10k race between Juárez and El Paso, the first time such an event has been held in fifteen years. “The race started in El Paso, crossed into Juárez and ended on the dividing line between the two nations,” writes the El Paso Times. The race was organized by the office of U.S. Representative Beto O’Rourke and the El Paso Community Foundation “to celebrate and to fight negative pictures painted about the border [like the] remarks by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.” As the story notes, “The race capped off the two-day U.S.-Mexico Summit that was held at the University of Texas at El Paso and ended Friday [sic] Juárez, where civic leaders discussed the overall partnership between both nations.”

Clickity Bits

The Texas to Ghana Gun Smuggling Ring

Who is Setting Cars are Fire and Breaking into Speaker’s Apartment?

 Mike Rawlings, Dallas Mayor and Emergency Super Hero Saves Woman from Choking

Alaska is Texas Country, Y’all

Wendy Williams Takes a Tumble in Houston, Recovers Like a Champ

Thirty-Five Years in Jail, and Still-Innocent Man Finally Gets an Actual Trial

“Dallas’ Jenny Block is on a Crusade for the Ultimate Female Orgasm“

Did we miss something? Got a hot tip? Email us at feedbag@texasmonthly.com. Or tweet @TexasMonthly and @ThatWinkler.