Dozens of upper-level DISD administrators could lose their jobs as new Superintendent Mike Miles restructures his leadership team.
Hector Flores, executive director of the Association of Hispanic School Administrators, said some 70 employees will be asked to apply for half that many jobs.
"There’s a lot of trepidation on the part of employees," Flores said. "We know some are going to lose their jobs just like what happened as a result of the budget shortfall from the state of Texas the last legislature session. Well have to wait and see what the final results are."
Flores said members may fight the move, and file a grievance. He also said Mr. Miles will have to take a close look at bilingual replacement personnel, because workers with that skill are currently under-represented. Flores said 70 percent of DISD’s students are Hispanic and many lack English language skills.
Bill Zeeble, KERA News
Work Starts on Arts District Box Office/Coffee Shop
Work is underway on a new box office and outdoor café for the AT&T Performing Arts Center. The two-thousand square foot glass pavilion is between the Meyerson and the Winspear Opera House.
The $4 million dollar project is privately funded and should be open by this time next year. During construction some Arts District some food trucks will be moved to other parts of Sammons Park.
BJ Austin, KERA News
New Way To Spot Fake ID’s: Foil Underage Drinkers
Dallas-based 7-Eleven is launching new technology to prevent the sale of alcohol to minors.
Starting this month, each 7-Eleven in Texas will scan the barcode on the back of driver’s licenses or ID cards. The new technology will verify the birth date stored on the card, but will not store any other information about the customer.
7-Eleven’s Keith Jones says laws often place the burden for illegal sales to minors on store operators or franchisees, and the new ID Scan is a high-tech way to spot an altered or fake ID.
BJ Austin, KERA News
Gas prices fall by nickel this week across Texas
Retail gasoline prices across Texas continue their slide by declining by a nickel a gallon this week.
AAA Texas on Thursday reported the average price statewide has slipped to $3.56 per gallon.
Gas prices nationally also continue to slide, down 2 cents this week to settle at $3.72 per gallon.
The association survey finds that Amarillo has the least expensive gasoline in Texas, at $3.43 per gallon. El Paso has the most expensive gasoline, going for $3.69 per gallon.
AAA says declining crude oil prices and renewed global economic concerns have sent retail gasoline prices down in the past month.
4.3 magnitude earthquake rattles east Texas
A moderate earthquake rattled an area in east Texas near the Louisiana border.
National Earthquake Information Center geophysicist Amy Vaughan says the quake happened at 3:12 a.m. Thursday and had a magnitude of 4.3. It was centered near Timpson, Texas.
Shelby County Sheriff's dispatcher Jacob Allen says the only injury reported they've received is an elderly woman who fell out of her bed and cut her arm. Allen says the quake caused broken windows and fallen dishes, but no major damage has been reported.
Vaughan says the quake was felt within 75 miles of its epicenter. She also said the same area was the site of a 3.9 magnitude quake on May 10.
Libel lawsuit latest in nasty Senate campaign
A bitter Republican fight for a Texas Senate seat has taken a new legal turn with Sen. Jeff Wentworth filing a libel lawsuit against opponent Elizabeth Ames Jones.
A recent radio ad from the Ames Jones campaign suggests Wentworth illegally double bills the state and his campaign for the same travel expenses, a potential felony.
Wentworth denies the allegation and says records back him up. He filed his lawsuit Thursday in San Antonio.
Ames Jones is fighting Wentworth for the Republican nomination for District 25, which stretches from San Antonio to south Austin, and the campaign has been among the most contentious in the state.
A spokesman for Ames Jones said her campaign will issue a response the lawsuit.
Police say 2 found dead in Fort Worth apartment
Police are investigating the deaths of a man and a woman whose bodies have been found in a North Texas apartment.
Names of the pair and further details on the deaths at the Fort Worth complex were not immediately released Thursday.
Fort Worth police say an employee of the apartment complex discovered the bodies late Wednesday. The worker was trying to drop off a notice at the unit when the bodies were found.
Police say the man is believed to have been in his 30s. The woman apparently was in her 60s.