Fort Worth Woman Taken Off Life Support. After a two-month battle that played out on networks across the country, 33-year-old Marlise Muñoz can finally be laid to rest. The controversy over whether a pregnant woman can be taken off life support turned into national news when two days after suffering an embolism, Muñoz’s family was denied that request. John Peter Smith Hospital cited a 1999 Texas law that states a pregnant woman must be kept on life support until the fetus is viable. The fetus, in this instance, had suffered the same loss of oxygen Muñoz had and was “distinctly abnormal.” The family sued the hospital, and on Friday, state district judge R.H. Wallace ruled in their favor. The hospital did not appeal. Life support was withdrawn Sunday.
Grade Changed for SMU Basketball Player. It looks like Keith Frazier, an SMU star, shouldn’t have graduated from Kimball High School last year. A Dallas Independent School District audit shows that Frazier didn’t have enough credits and was failing three classes as the 2013 academic year came to a close. But a week after classes ended, at least one of those failing grades changed to passing. There’s also a line in this WFAA investigation that claims Frazier transferred to Kimball in 2012 to play ball, a violation of Texas rules. This whole situation just makes me sad. Students deserve better.
Civil Rights Activist Adelfa Callejo Dies at 90. Callejo grew up protesting and became the first Hispanic woman to graduate from SMU law school. She would become a prominent Dallas lawyer, fighting for immigration and education causes and battling oppression she faced as a Mexican-American woman with a law degree. Nicknamed La Madrina, “The Godmother,” Callejo preferred to call herself the “millionaire militant,” reports the Dallas Morning News, insisting that her “wealth bolstered her independence.” She died Sunday after a fight with brain cancer.
Taxi Fight Leads to Identity Theft Bust. Security breaches are currently top of mind (Target, Neiman Marcus, and now Michaels, possibly), but in 2011, a massive ring fell apart after one of the participants assaulted a taxi driver over $40. This led police to the Le Meridien Hotel, where a room was searched and police uncovered “piles of money” and social security numbers used to file fraudulent tax returns, making them millions. Five people have since been convicted.
The Next George Bush. Politico has a profile of George Prescott Bush, son of Jeb, nephew of George W. Bush, and grandson of George H.W. Bush. The 37-year-old is running for commissioner of the Texas General Land Office. The piece calls him a lock for the position but raises a more interesting question: what will George P.’s entrance into politics mean for the Republican party and the state? It’s worth a read.
