Police Officer’s Past Investigated. Cardan Spencer, who was terminated after shooting a mentally ill man last year, has exhibited questionable tactics in the past. In a 2008 incident, he and three other officers fired from behind another set of officers during a standoff. The group that fired was 75 feet away from the suspect. “You’re not even in the ballgame,” says Dallas police Sgt. Keith Wenzel in this Dallas Morning News article. “You should be on the sideline watching the pass, not in the end zone catching it.” Though the incident was investigated and Spencer and the others who shot were determined to have had a clear line of sight, some are questioning why they weren’t given more training/discipline.
The Flu Isn’t Going Anywhere. It doesn’t look like we’ll stop hearing about the flu anytime soon. Sadly, 48 people in North Texas have died this year presumably from the outbreak. It sounds like we’ll be battling it well into February. A flu shot takes about two weeks to be active, but the reporter here says it’s not too late. (This is more of a note to self than anything.)
Change in Tolls Encourages Violators to Pay. The North Texas Tollway Authority has discovered that telling people they owe thousands of dollars in tolls does not result in those violators stepping forward to pay. (Shocking.) The reworked system now charges between $10 and $25 per ignored invoice, rather than $6.60 per unpaid toll. In order to find out the new balance, however, the violator has to call 972-818-6882.
