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WASHINGTON, May 31, 2006 – This July, two military men plan to become the 16th and 17th Americans to swim the Strait of Gibraltar, raising funds in the process for troops disabled in recent action overseas. David Broyles and Rush Vann of Austin, Texas, expect to swim the 12.5 miles of Mediterranean waters from the southern coast of Spain to Morocco to help draw public support for America's wounded heroes, according to a press release. "As a pararescueman in Iraq, my job was to save lives," Broyles said in an open letter. "I'm no longer in Iraq and I'm no...

A 2004 British documentary called Turning Muslim in Texas has resurfaced in a big way on the Internet, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers for its account of white Texans who grew up Christian but now practice Islam. Almost whimsical in tone, the 23-minute documentary portrays its handful of subjects as patriotic and politically conservative, and fond of pursuits that Brits associate with Texas – shopping, firing guns and going to football games.

There was speculation Casserly would be fired in the wake of the Texans' 2-14 season and their controversial choice for the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. "I have an interest in doing other things right now," he said. "This was not an easy decision, but it was a decision I felt I had to make at this point in time." The Texans passed over Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and hometown favorite Vince Young to take defensive end Mario Williams with the top choice in last month's draft. Many fans were outraged, but Texans owner Bob McNair said...

How much trouble is a number worth? Reggie Bush, projected as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, thinks it's at least worth petitioning the league. "I want to see if I can keep No. 5," Bush told ESPN The Magazine on the set of a Subway commercial he was shooting in Los Angeles. The former USC running back and 2005 Heisman Trophy winner has been wearing that jersey number since high school. NFL rules, however, don't allow for running backs to take that number -- 33 years ago the league adopted a numbering system to make it easier...

HONOLULU -- In a move that could augur the selection of Southern California tailback Reggie Bush as the first overall pick in the 2006 draft, league sources here for the Pro Bowl confirmed late Thursday that the Houston Texans have exercised a "buy back" clause in quarterback David Carr's contract, paying him an $8 million bonus to secure his services for three more seasons. The Texans, who announced the extension Friday in a news release, did not provide details, but called a 2 p.m. news conference to discuss the deal. Retaining the four-year veteran quarterback, who would have become eligible...

HOUSTON – Hurricane Rita closed in on the Texas Gulf Coast and the heart of the U.S. oil-refining industry with howling 145 mph winds Thursday, but a sharper-than-expected turn to the right set it on a course that could spare Houston and nearby Galveston a direct hit. The storm's march toward land sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the nation's fourth-largest city in a frustratingly slow, bumper-to-bumper exodus. "This is the worst planning I've ever seen," said Judie Anderson, who covered just 45 miles in 12 hours after setting out from her home in the Houston suburb of LaPorte....

HOUSTON (AP) - C.C. Brown has more worries than most NFL rookies. While he learns plays and competes for a spot with the Houston Texans, thoughts of Afghanistan are never far away. As a member of the Mississippi National Guard, the sixth-round draft pick could be called for duty at any time. He and his best friend, Darrell Sproles, grew up poor in Greenwood, Miss., and enlisted together as seniors in high school because they saw it as their only way out. Now Sproles is in Afghanistan and Brown, a strong safety, is trying to make the most of his...

National Football League News Wire The following stories are the most recent transmissions from ESPN.com wire sources Sunday, August 14, 2005Ex-NFL player Robbins arrested on marijuana charge - AP (1:47 PM ET)Panthers, at almost 100 percent, are excited after preseason win - AP (1:25 PM ET) Raiders assistant taken to hospital after fainting on sideline - AP (2:08 AM ET)UNDATED: yards receiving. - AP (1:39 AM ET) Saturday, August 13, 2005NFL Preseason Capsules - AP (11:38 PM ET) Schottenheimer sticking with errant kicker Kaeding - AP (10:15 PM ET)Panthers retire Mills' jersey at halftime - AP (9:50 PM ET)Without Owens,...

3 March 1836: Travis' Report and Appeal for Aid for the Alamo. On the night of 3 Mar, Travis sent out the last message from the besieged Alamo with courier John W. Smith. He penetrated enemy lines with the message from Travis to the Texas Independence Convention at Washington-on-the-Brazos which describes the situation at the Alamo in detail: In the present confusion of the political authorities of the country, and in the absence of the commander in chief, I beg leave to communicate to you the situation of this garrison. You have doubtless already seen my official report of the...

"March 2, 1836 dawned, frigid and gray; cutting winds blew through glassless windows. Texians - as they styled themselves - huddled close, pulled blankets tight, and gave birth to a dream." -- Dr. Stephen L. Hardin, professor of history, The Victoria College That dream of which Dr. Hardin recently spoke so eloquently was that of a free Texas, a shining Republic answering to no one but its own elected representatives, and formed from the ground up by the blood, sweat and tears of a rough-hewn bunch of frontiersmen who would die willingly to stake claim to the Texas clay beneath...

Sunday, October 3, 2004 Houston Texans vs. Oakland Raiders 12:00 Noon Kickoff, Reliant Stadium The goal of the Houston Texans Hispanic Heritage Day presented by MOTOROLA, is to create a special and diverse event that celebrates the importance of Hispanic heritage and increases awareness to our Hispanic Raving Fans. Mango Punch performed during last year's Hispanic Heritage celebration. This year will mark our third annual Texans Hispanic Heritage Day and in the past this event has served as a historic moment for the Houston Texans, our city and a model for professional sports. As part of Hispanic Heritage Day, the...

MSNBC is reporting that "Texan’s for Truth" is going to be offering a $50,000 reward for "irrefutable proof" that President Bush completed his National Guard service obligations.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A television writer and fund-raiser for John Kerry is the first six-figure donor to a new group that is criticizing President Bush's National Guard service during the Vietnam War. Daniel O'Keefe, a writer/producer whose work includes such sitcoms as "The Drew Carey Show" and "Seinfeld," donated $100,000 this week to Texans for Truth, an Austin-based group that plans to run anti-Bush television ads starting Monday. The group spent about $100,000 on its first ad buy, an anti-Bush commercial that starts Monday in the presidential battleground states Arizona, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania. In addition to his Texans...

Mystery still surrounds E. Texans' arsenal By LISA FALKENBERG Associated Press Jan. 24, 2004, 10:39AM NOONDAY -- William Krar and Judith Bruey built an arsenal in three rented storage units in this rural East Texas town and federal authorities still don't know why. A federal raid in April 2003 found nearly half a million rounds of ammunition, more than 60 pipe bombs, machine guns, silencers and remote-controlled bombs disguised as briefcases. Pamphlets on how to make chemical weapons and anti-Semitic, anti-black and anti-government books were also discovered. Beside containers of hydrochloric, nitric and acetic acids, agents found more than 800...

Do you enjoy fishing, surfing, beachcombing, sunbathing, or just long walks on the beach at sunrise or sunset? Are you aware that the beaches of Texas belong to the citizens of Texas? Did you know that there is an ongoing battle, to take away YOUR right to access YOUR property? The "Texas Open Beaches Act" guarantees, the citizens of our great state, open and unrestricted access to all Texas beaches,from "mean low tide" to the "vegetation line." The current fight is over the last 3.2 miles of open beach, at San Luis Pass. By the way, that is the only,...

Pol: Funds misused on Texans By Shea Andersen Tribune Reporter New Mexico Republicans say they've had it with the Texas Democrats who are staying in Albuquerque, and not just because of political disagreements. Rep. Dan Foley, a Roswell Republican, wants the Legislative Finance Committee to investigate whether or not using State Police to guard the 11 wayward Texas Democrats is a misuse of state funds. He has asked the committee to subpoena Secretary of Public Safety John Denko to get answers. "I want to know how much, and who authorized this," Foley said at a press conference Thursday at the...

(2003-06-26) -- In a little noticed addendum to today's Lawrence and Garner v. Texas decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the citizens of Texas are not intelligent enough to rule their own state. Writing for the majority, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy noted, "Representative government is a good notion as far as it goes. But the citizens of Texas clearly lack the mental ability to elect representatives and make laws properly. We'll be keeping eye on them to protect them from themselves." Justice Kennedy also wrote that "citizens of many other states probably lack the intellectual capacity to rule themselves as...

WASHINGTON -- As the war in Iraq played out last week, Army Spc. Kevin Osgood lay in a hospital half a world away, nursing leg wounds from an Iraqi ambush. For Osgood, who grew up 100 miles west of Houston in Dime Box, the war ended April 1 when he took two bullets through his left calf and another in his right knee. Down the hall at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, another soldier, whose roots reach Texas and deep into U.S. military history, was recovering from a gunshot wound to the face. At nearby National Naval Medical Center, two...

You've seen them. Maybe down the street. Maybe across the breakfast table behind the newspaper. Maybe hogging the remote control for your new high-definition TV. You know them. You might work with one. You might live next door to one. You might even sleep with one. Cowboys fans. Like humidity, traffic and fire ants, they're a fact of life around here. Truth is, like cell phones, Dr. Phil and those incredibly annoying commercials for "Clarinex," you can't get away from them. Can't live with 'em. Can't spray something on 'em. They show up in the places you think would be...