Free Republic

BALTIMORE — A Maryland woman whose death last year was blamed on an attack by a panhandler was actually killed by her husband and his adult daughter, police said Sunday. Keith Smith, 52, had told police that his wife, Jacquelyn, an engineer from Harford County, was trying to give money to a panhandler at a traffic light when she was robbed and fatally stabbed. Both were arrested in Harlingen, Texas, near the Mexico border. Harrison said the two were preparing to leave the country.

Now isn’t that some great news? Reports have been rolling in from Texas – the state where 40 Days for Life began – that abortion facilities are shutting down left and right. The latest closures include three businesses where faithful 40 Days for Life volunteers have prayed on the sidewalks outside for years. Plus – there’s another abortion center where volunteers are very hopeful that the business they’re praying in front of will soon join the list. Here are the details.——————————————————- BEAUMONT, McALLEN AND HARLINGEN, TEXAS ——————————————————-The three businesses closing are Whole Woman’s Health in Beaumont and McAllen, along with...

Abortion practitioners across the country are responsible for nearly 57 million abortions. They kill unborn babies on a daily basis, kill and injure women in failed abortions, and leave women, men, and families dealing with devastating mental health and spiritual issues as a result. While a majority of Americans oppose abortion and believe abortions ought to be illegal, MSNBC held a segment calling abortion practitioners heroes. The Maddow show story focused on the anger abortion advocates have over pro-life laws in Texas and other states resulting in closing abortion businesses because they can’t seem to follow the law. As Texas...

A Harlingen man wants to know why an uninsured driver was able to take her car with her after crashing into his wife's car. Robert Castillo wants to know why Harlingen police didn't tow her car. "I want to understand are you out there to take care of us or not because that was your job and you didn't do it and that failed me as a citizen," Castillo said. Castillo says he is a man loyal to the law and is disappointed when people are given an exemption. He claims he encountered a few weeks ago an exemption when...

Authorities are now confirming the identity of a man who allegedly put a grenade in an 11-year-old boy's backpack. Harlingen police arrested 46-year-old Dedrick Thompson on child endangerment and probibited weapons charges on Thursday evening. The incident took place on West Monroe Avenue between North D Street and North E Street. Police said Thompson approached the boy when he got off a school bus and put something in the boy's backpack. Family members told Action 4 News that they found a grenade inside. Authorities sealed off the area and the Brownsville Police Department bomb squad was able to dispose of...

The Texas Department of Transportation is asking Nueces County residents to attend a public meeting in Driscoll to comment and provide input on proposed upgrades of US 77 to a controlled access facility that meets interstate standards. The purpose of the meetings is to review proposed options for upgrading US 77 and to present recommendations, TxDOT officials said. The first round public meetings were held in early March. This second round of public meetings is being held as part of TxDOT's continued effort to gain public input on issues related to proposed improvements and to provide an opportunity for public...

Police say Ortiz Sanchez promised to take care of fines HARLINGEN — A woman arrested last week on multiple outstanding warrants skipped out on at least two promises to settle those stacks of warrants since 2006, Police Chief Danny Castillo said Thursday. Harlingen police arrested Valerie Ortiz Sanchez, 31, in 2006 and 2007, Castillo said as he pulled police reports from a manila folder about an inch thick. At the time of the 2006 arrest, Ortiz Sanchez had 42 outstanding warrants for her arrest, Castillo said. She was arrested again on Jan. 14 on 76 outstanding warrants that had accumulated...

Ortiz Sanchez pays fines on 10 warrants HARLINGEN — A woman who racked up almost 100 warrants for traffic violations during the past 10 years faces arrest again, officials said Friday. Three Cameron County warrant officers were planning to arrest Valerie Ortiz Sanchez, 31, on outstanding warrants in Harlingen, San Benito, La Feria and Brownsville, Jacob Borgas, a warrant officer, said. “Justice has to be served,” Borgas said. “She’s got to live up to her responsibilities.” Thursday night, San Benito officials released Ortiz Sanchez after she paid $2,718 in fines on 10 outstanding warrants for traffic violations, Orlando Garcia, the...

A Harlingen woman with 76 outstanding traffic violations dating back 10 years paid her way out of jail only to be picked up by police from neighboring San Benito for 10 more violations there. The law finally caught up with 31-year-old Valerie Ortiz Sanchez in Harlingen on Monday, when a motorcycle officer spotted her expired registration sticker. The officer ran a warrant check and took her in, police spokesman David Osborne said. She owed $18,896 in traffic fines. Ortiz Sanchez paid $1,500 to get out of jail Wednesday afternoon and then was taken to jail in San Benito. San Benito...

HARLINGEN(Texas) — What started as a traffic stop Monday turned into something far from routine for Harlingen police. Police discovered the driver had accumulated 76 outstanding warrants and $18,986 in unpaid fines and court fees dating back to 1998, Sgt. John Parrish said. The warrants are for traffic violations and parking tickets, police said. Valerie Ortiz Sanchez, 31, was arrested on charges of having expired car registration, no insurance and driving with an expired license, according to an arrest report. Sanchez appeared Tuesday before Municipal Court Judge Valerie Garcia, who set bond at $1,000 for driving without a valid license...

AUSTIN – Jim Fuller, Libertarian candidate for Texas House District 38, has died. Fuller was vacationing at his stepson’s house in Kalamazoo, Mich., when he did not wake up the morning of Aug. 12, said Floyd Murray, his stepson. The cause of death was ruled congestive hear t failure. Fuller’s death leaves only Eddie Lucio III on the November ballot for the open seat that includes most of Harlingen and northern Brownsville. Lucio III, considered to be the frontrunner, has wide family influence and was the only candidate raising money. The Republican candidate, Brownsville businessman Luis Cavazos, withdrew from the...

When their names are called, 98 percent of all undocumented aliens ordered to appear at Harlingen Immigration Court do not answer. They are weeks into their new lives in all corners of the United States. Nationwide, the number of non-Mexicans who are entering the country illegally is skyrocketing, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Through Aug. 9, for the first 10 months of fiscal 2005, a total of 135,097 non-Mexicans had been apprehended out of 1.02 million undocumented immigrants arrested overall. In all of fiscal 2004, the number of non-Mexicans apprehended was 75,392; in fiscal 2003, the figure was...

Teen pregnancy said problem in Valley Associated Press HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) Teenage pregnancy rates in the Rio Grande Valley have been higher than rates in Texas and the rest of the United States in recent years, according to a newspaper report. Texas Department of Health data from 2001 shows that fewer than 30 of every 1,000 girls in the state ages 13 to 17 got pregnant. In the Valley, the rate was 42. In 2002, a survey of girls age 15 to 19 found that 97 of every 1,000 girls in the United States was pregnant, compared to 113 of...