The top local stories this morning from KERA News: John Battaglia’s scheduled for lethal injection this evening for killing his 9- and 6-year-old daughters in 2001, while their mother listened on the phone.
Attorneys for the former Dallas accountant have asked federal courts to halt the execution, saying they need more time to show Battaglia's incompetent for capital punishment.
However, prosecutors say there's no evidence to show he's incompetent. They said Battaglia killed his children in revenge for his ex-wife's harassment complaints – complaints that led to an arrest warrant issued against him. He already was on probation at the time.
Other stories this morning:
- Developers told the Fort Worth city council yesterday they’re making progress on a $175 million plan to revitalize the Stockyards. Some residents and Stockyards business owners worry they could lose the iconic nature of the stockyards to new development. The city council votes next week on the boundaries of a possible historic district in the stockyards, which is another sticking point for preservationists and developers.
- Doctors are used to treating cases of abuse and neglect, but they’d rather prevent it. Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is testing out some big data technology that could help predict where kids are most likely to be abused.
You can listen to North Texas stories weekdays at 8:22 a.m. and 6:20 p.m. on KERA 90.1 FM.
