Trickles From Texas

"Dallas area emerging from drought" Associated Press, February 03, 2012

HOUSTON - The rain that started trickling into Texas in the fall may finally be making a dent in Dallas, but the rest of the state is still a long way off from being out of a historic drought, and climate experts are warning against any premature partying....

--more--"   

Also see: Sunday Globe Special: Rick Perry Returns to Texas 

He must have brought the rain back with the black cloud that hovered over his campaign.

Something else you would have found in that Perry post:

"Deported Texas teen maintained alias in jail calls" Associated Press, February 04, 2012

DALLAS - A teenager who was deported to South America under a false name never expressed concern during jailhouse phone calls that she was being misidentified as an illegal immigrant from Colombia.

The more than two dozen recorded telephone calls reviewed by the Associated Press show Jakadrien Turner, 15, of Dallas, expected to be deported to Colombia yet did not complain of having no ties to the country.

Instead, during several conversations she had with two men she identified herself as Tika Lanay Cortez and discussed renewing her green card and having her passport and Colombian identification card sent to authorities.

Yet, Turner said in a recent television interview that she repeatedly tried to convince authorities she had lied when she initially identified herself to Houston police as Cortez, a 21-year-old Colombian national, after being arrested for shoplifting.

“At a certain point, I just gave up because I said it multiple times: ‘I’m Jakadrien Turner, I’m 15 years old, and why am I here?’ ’’ Turner, who was returned to Texas last month, told Dallas television station WFAA, in an interview that aired Wednesday night.

--more--"

"Induced labor enables dying man to see newborn daughter" Associated Press, February 13, 2012

DALLAS - Diane Aulger was about two weeks from her delivery date when she and her husband decided there was no time to wait: Mark Aulger had only days to live, and he wanted to see his child.

Diane Aulger had her labor induced and gave birth to their daughter on Jan. 18. When tiny Savannah was placed in his arms, Mark Aulger “cried, and he just looked very sad,’’ his wife said. He died five days later from complications related to his cancer treatment.

The 52-year-old Texas man was diagnosed with colon cancer in April. He had surgery and, as a precaution, six months of chemotherapy, Diane Aulger said. With no signs of cancer showing up in follow up tests, the treatment seemed successful.

Then in November, Mark Aulger began having trouble breathing. By Jan. 3, he was sick enough to go to the emergency room. His wife said he was told the chemotherapy had caused him to develop pulmonary fibrosis, which causes scarring and thickening in the lungs.

Initially, the Aulgers were hopeful. But on Jan. 16, the doctor delivered more bad news: Mark Aulger’s condition was fatal. When Diane Aulger asked how long her husband had, the response was five or six days.

“Mark said, ‘I’d like to see the baby,’ ’’ the 31-year-old mother said yesterday.

Their baby was due Jan. 29, and Diane Aulger had planned a natural childbirth, but when the doctor suggested an induced labor, she immediately agreed. She was already experiencing prelabor symptoms, and they scheduled the birth for Jan. 18.

Hospital staff arranged for the Aulgers to share a large labor and delivery room. Mark Aulger held his daughter for about 45 minutes after she was born. For the next couple of days, though, he was so tired he was only able to hold her a couple of times for a minute or so. She said he slipped into a coma on Jan. 21 and died two days later.

--more--"


Also see: Children found tied to beds in Texas home