Latest News & Commentary --- 9-3
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Death Toll Rising in Pakistan Attacks
Suicide bombings targeting religious minorities killed at least 44 people in Pakistan on Friday, driving up the toll of sectarian assaults. Earlier this week 35 people were killed and 250 wounded in bombing attacks. Sunni extremists have launched dozens of attacks against Shiites and other Islamic sects and religions in Pakistan in recent years. The extremists believe it is permissible -- even honorable -- to kill members of other faiths.

Oil Rig Explodes in Gulf
The Louisiana Coast Guard is responding to reports of an offshore oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. The rig is reportedly owned by Mariner Energy, and a Coast Guard spokesman said all of the crew members on the rig are alive. The blast was reported by a commercial helicopter company about 9:30 a.m. CDT on Thursday. Seven helicopters, two airplanes and four boats are en route to the site, about 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay along the central Louisiana coast.

Gunman Had Long History of Protests
James Lee, a 43-year-old California man with a seemingly religious fervor for his environmental causes, had a history of targeting the Discovery Channel for its programming, most notably in a 2008 protest in front of the channel's Silver Spring, Md., headquarters, where 1,900 employees work. On Wednesday he entered the building with a gun and what appeared to be bombs strapped to his chest and back and held a number of people hostage in a four-hour standoff with police. Web postings show Lee was obsessed with the problem of over-population, which he blamed on "parasitic human infants." That obsession ended Wednesday afternoon when police shot and killed him to end the standoff inside the Discovery Channel headquarters. Lee's three hostages escaped safely. Full story HERE

Carolina's Spared Worst of Hurricane Earl
Hurricane Earl swiped North Carolina's Outer Banks, Virginia and Maryland, dumping heavy rain and leaving thousands without power, but spared the Mid-Atlantic coastline the full force of its Category 2 power. Forecasters warn that the storm still poses a serious threat to eastern Long Island and Massachusetts.

Opposition to Peace Talks
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned Friday from the resumption of Mideast negotiations in Washington to confront internal opposition to his peace moves, just as his Palestinian counterpart faced harsh criticism for agreeing to the talks at all. Analysts on both sides questioned the ability and desire of their leaders to negotiate a peace accord. And the militant Islamic Hamas group, from its stronghold in Gaza, rejected the talks as illegitimate.

International Criminal Court to Open in Nairobi
Kenya is allowing the International Criminal Court to open an office in the country. The court's prosecutor is investigating top Kenyan leaders and business people for their roles in political violence that killed more than 1,000 people in 2007-08. Kenya granted the ICC immunity from legal challenges and tax exemptions in a letter signed Friday by the foreign minister. This comes a week after Kenya hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity at the ICC. Kenya did not arrest al-Bashir, arguing such a move would destabilize Sudan. His visit raised doubts about Kenya's willingness to hand over suspects expected to soon be charged by the ICC.

Explosions in Lebanon
Explosions ripped through a building Friday in southern Lebanon that might have been used to store weapons by the militant group Hezbollah, security officials said. There have been no reports of casualties from the blasts, which set off a large fire, and rRescue crews responded to the scene. It was not clear what caused Friday's blasts, but one of the officials said it might have been triggered by an electrical short circuit setting off secret Hezbollah munitions.

Indonesia Urged to Increase Pirate Patrols
An international maritime group urged Indonesia on Thursday to increase patrols in the South China Sea after pirates attacked nine vessels in less than three weeks. The International Maritime Bureau said pirates armed with guns and machetes had robbed tankers and bulk carriers of cash and other valuables in the attacks off the Indonesian islands of Mangkai, Anambas and Natuna. This brought the number of pirate attacks so far this year to 26 in the area, which is a transit route used by vessels heading southeast to the Singapore Straits or northwest to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean. Only seven attacks were reported all of last year.

Blair's Memoir Tells All
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair offers biting portraits of other world leaders and a searing account of how war and political infighting took their toll on him in a memoir published today. The autobiography is titled A Journey, and Blair earlier announced that he will contribute all proceeds from the book to an agency that is helping veterans.

Army Personnel Quarantined in Turkey
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey says six U.S. army post office personnel have been quarantined after handling a package containing a powdery substance at Istanbul's main airport. U.S. Embassy Spokeswoman Deborah Guido says Friday the six were quarantined pending laboratory results to determine whether the powder is a dangerous substance, such as anthrax. The results are expected Saturday. Guido said a health team has decontaminated the area and the six are being administered antibiotics as a precaution at a hospital in Istanbul.

Attack in Cancun Club
As Mexican officials investigate a bloody attack that left eight people dead in one of the country's most popular vacation destinations, officials there say the drug wars appear to be having little effect on tourism. Six women and two men died Tuesday in a fire at a bar frequented by locals in the resort town of Cancun. Employees at Castillo del Mar have told police that gunmen tossed gasoline bombs at the establishment, which is located in a low-income area far from the city's main tourist zone.

Aid Workers Attacked in Congo
Gunmen in eastern Congo fired Wednesday on a private plane carrying international aid workers who escaped into the forest and are in hiding. According to the report, U.N. peacekeepers were on the way to rescue the three Americans and one Georgian who were on the aircraft and two Congolese staff who were at the landing strip outside Walikale mining town when the shooting erupted. Wednesday's attack comes a few weeks after a pilot was kidnapped at Walikale airport. The aid workers are part of a team treating scores of people raped in recent rebel attacks.

Defense Fund for Arizona Immigration Bill
A Wyoming man has given more than $1.5 million to help defend Arizona's controversial immigration enforcement measure in court, Gov. Jan Brewer's office said Thursday. The contribution from Timothy Mellon of Saratoga is the largest to Brewer's defense fund, which has amassed more than $3.6 million from 41,000 donors nationwide. The latest legal bills released Thursday show Brewer's office has spent more than $440,000 for the first two months of defending the law.

Man Detained at Miami Airport
A scientist has been detained at the Miami International Airport after screeners spotted a metal canister in his luggage that looked like a pipe bomb, prompting an evacuation, a government official said Friday. The FBI and Miami-Dade police were interviewing the 70-year-old man who is an American citizen, but his name has not been released. No explosives have been found. The man was on a flight that flew into Miami but would not say where he flew from.

Area Red Cross On Alert
Some Texas Red Cross volunteers and vehicles are on alert in case they're needed in the wake of Hurricane Earl and the approach of Hurricane Fiona. As of now they have not been activated. National Red Cross doesn't pull resources from hurricane prone states during hurricane season, often first activating resources from states not likely to be directly affected by a particular storm.

Be Safe For Labor Day Weekend
Enhanced traffic enforcement for the long Labor Day weekend begins tomorrow at 6:00 and runs through midnight Monday. All Texas state troopers will be out in force, focusing on drunk drivers, speeders and those not properly restrained in seatbelts or child safety seats.

High-Speed Rail Coming to East Texas
A partnership between Amtrak, Union Pacific and TXDOT is making high-speed rail service in East Texas a reality. Officials say it’s possible that the service will begin within 10 years. The funding for the higher speed rails is a combination of grant money from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the communities that the proposed track will go through.

Proposal to Share Costs
Texas Governor Rick Perry says school districts that pool resources to cut administrative costs will get a state grant equal to 10 percent of their first-year savings. The governor’s office says districts could cut costs in human resources, accounting, transportation services, technology and facilities through partnerships with districts, counties, cities and the private sector.

Lawsuit Filed Against Coal Company in East Texas
The Sierra Club, America's oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization, has filed a federal lawsuit against the owner of an east Texas coal-fired power plant. The suit filed alleges the Martin Lake plant in Rusk County exposes the public to harmful air pollution in violation of the federal Clean Air Act and is one of the dirtiest in the entire nation.

Pot Farm Found in North Texas
Ellis County deputies discovered nearly 20,000 pot plants with a street value of almost $10 million dollars in four fields near the Navarro county border. Investigators also found campsites and a sophisticated irrigation system. It’s the second time a marijuana farm was found in that location. Nearly 27,000 plants were found in May. No arrests were made in either case.

DPS Workers Charged With Fraud
Two workers with the Department of Public Safety in Texas and a gas station manager are accused of selling bogus driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and others. Thirty-nine -year-old State Trooper Mark DaArza of Houston and 37-year-old clerk Lidia Gutierrez of Galena Park are accused of processing applicants without proper documentation. Forty-six -year-old store manager Maen Bittar of Houston collected $3,000 or more from each applicant before sending them to the DPS office and then delivered the licenses later.

East Texas Doctor Has License Suspended
An East Texas eye surgeon has agreed to have his medical license suspended for 9 months after allegedly wrecking his car while under the influence. Dr. Alan Dale Shiller of Palestine was on call at the time of the wreck, and a toxicology report showed he tested positive for barbiturates, opiates, and PCP.

East Texas Singer Makes Music History
Miranda Lambert of Lindale has made CMA Awards history with a nine nominations. That's the most ever by a female artist. Lady A earned the second most nominations with five and Lambert’s fiancé Blake Shelton was next with four, tied with Zac Brown Band.

Public Hearings in East Texas
Two public hearings will be held to gather public input on a proposal by Hopkins County Memorial Hospital to raise property taxes 5 cents per hundred dollar valuation. Hearings are set for Friday, September 10 at noon and on Thursday, September 16 at noon. Hospital officials say the hospital has been hurt financially by the large amount of charity cases it handles and bad debt.