I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Joe Paterno.  He was an outstanding American who was respected not only on the field of play but in life generally — and he was, without a doubt, a true icon in the world of sports.  I was proud that he was a friend of mine.  Barbara and I send our condolences to his devoted wife Suzanne and to his wonderful family.

 Austin—TDP spokesperson Anthony Gutierrez released the following statement in response to Rick Perry dropping out of the Republican presidential race:

“Dropping out of this race is the first smart decision Rick Perry’s made in a long time. Unfortunately, the aftermath of Rick Perry’s presidential bid will affect Texans for a long time. 

Rick Perry’s presidential run didn’t only damage his ego; it had real, devastating consequences on our entire state. Rick Perry used our last legislative session and state budget as a prop to launch this run. He put his political aspirations ahead of the needs of Texas children, slashed billions from public education and refused to use any of the $6 billion in our state’s savings account. 

Tens of thousands of public school teachers are unemployed right now because Rick Perry wanted to position himself for a presidential run.* Despite their shared affinity for firing people, not even Rick Perry could get excited about endorsing Mitt Romney. Even Perry was bright enough to recognize a vulture capitalist when he saw one.

Sadly, Rick Perry’s dangerous political agenda did not dissolve with his presidential campaign. Perry’s Texas Republican clones are marching on to implement the most extreme aspects of Perry’s out of touch policy proposals.” 

*Perry prohibiting the legislature from using any of the state’s saving account known as the Rainy Day Fund led to $4 billion in cuts to public education funding and tens of thousands of teacher layoffs.

Here’s the statement, just in from the campaign. It was sent from South Carolina, the next primary battleground and the place Perry hopes to salvage his bid for the White House.

“Tonight’s results in New Hampshire show the race for ‘conservative alternative’ to Mitt Romney remains wide open. I skipped New Hampshire and aimed my campaign right at conservative South Carolina, where we’ve been campaigning hard and receiving an enthusiastic welcome. I believe being the only non-establishment outsider in the race, the proven fiscal and social conservative and proven job creator will win the day in South Carolina.

“South Carolina is the next stop. I have a head start here, and it’s friendly territory for a Texas governor and veteran with solid outsider credentials, the nation’s best record of job creation, and solid fiscal, social and Tea Party conservatism.”

This morning, Mayor Annise Parker sent a memo to council members and staff about the appointment of an Interim Director

 Her bio was still on the city’s website as of 10:40 this morning.  According to the official bio, Flowers has ”more than 20 years of successful nonprofit, public service, corporate and self-employment experience.  She has worked closely with community leaders, non-profits, elected officials, city agencies, churches and small businesses to lead projects and deliver services to communities in need. Prior to her appointment as the Director of the Department of Neighborhoods, she ran a Houston-based project management and technical assistance agency.  In 2007, she worked at Capital One Bank as the Vice President of Community Development Banking, focused on economic and community development in the Houston, Port Arthur and Beaumont areas.  During her tenure there, she helped increase the bank’s lending portfolio and improve overall bank relationships.  She also created economic development programs for small businesses, churches, community development corps and nonprofits.”

No other details are available at this time.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                                   Wednesday, January 4, 2012

KEY INFO FOR HOUSTON TEXANS WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAME PRES. BY KROGER

Fans urged to arrive early and be in stadium by 3:00 p.m.

The Houston Texans will host the first playoff game in franchise history, and the first in Houston since January 16, 1994, on Saturday when they play the Cincinnati Bengals at 3:30 p.m.

The Texans have a number of exciting things planned for their fans throughout the day. In order to help fans better prepare for Saturday, following are several key pieces of information regarding the game, including ticket information, the times when parking lot and stadium gates will open and pregame activities.

General Information

• The Texans strongly encourage all fans attending Saturday’s game to be in their seats by at least 3:00 p.m. CSTto participate in the pregame activities and be ready for kickoff.
• Due to the large crowd and additional security, fans should allow themselves additional time to get into the stadium.
• Ticket Information
• Saturday’s game is sold out. The Texans advise any fans who are still looking for tickets on the re-sale market to utilize the NFL Ticket Exchange powered by Ticketmaster.
  • Only tickets acquired from team-associated outlets, including the Reliant Stadium ticket office and Ticketmaster/Ticket Exchange, can be fully validated by the club and the NFL.

Parking Lot and Stadium Gate Information

• All non-premium parking lots will open four (4) hours prior to kickoff as with all other Texans home games. The lots will open at 11:30 a.m. CST Saturday.
• Because of the later than normal kickoff time, fans will not be allowed block the normal flow of traffic by lining up their vehicles along Kirby Dr., Main St. or other city streets before the gates open.
• All main stadium gates will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff as usual, meaning that they will open at 2:00 p.m. CST.
• At the recommendation of the National Football League, the Texans will implement additional security procedures at all gates on Saturday. Fans are strongly encouraged to allow an additional 15 minutes to get into the stadium. 

Pregame and In-Game Entertainment

• The H-E-B Tailgater of the Game – Playoff Edition contest will take place in the Blue Lot outside Budweiser Plaza. The contest will feature six previous H-E-B Tailgater of the Year winners, including this year’s winning team, Battle Red Wagon. Judging will take place from 12:15-1:45 p.m., and the winner will be announced at 2:00 p.m.
• Exclusive playoff giveaways at every gate for all fans in attendance, including Reliant Power Towels and Kroger “Go Texans” signs.
• A card stunt which will spell out “GO TEXANS” across the entire East side lower level when the Texans take the field for introductions. All fans seated in Sections 121-132 will be involved and are encouraged to be in their seats by 3:00 p.m.
• Former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips will serve as an honorary team captain and will help lead the team out of the tunnel for introductions. Award-winning actor Dennis Quaid, a Houston native, will join the team captains for the coin toss before kickoff.
• The National Anthem will be performed by Grammy Award-winning Gospel artist (and Houston native) Yolanda Adams.
• Texas native Clay Walker will perform both pregame and at halftime. Before the game, Walker will break out a special playoff-inspired rendition of “Football Time In Houston,” the unofficial Texans theme song. At halftime, he will perform a collection of his greatest hits.

Full pardons were granted to:

Maria Isabel Colmenares-Rodriguez, 58, of Pembroke Pines, Fla., was convicted of shoplifting in 1974 at the age of 21. She was sentenced to pay a $50 fine. ·

Tommie Emerson Elder, 57, of Houston, was convicted of burglary of a motor vehicle in 1976 at the age of 22. He was sentenced to three years in jail, which was probated for three years. ·

Beverly Troupe Enoch, 33, of Houston, was convicted of assault with bodily injury in 1996 at the age of 18. She was sentenced to 20 days in jail, and paid a $100 fine. ·

Marilyn Jean Hensley, 73, of Lewisville, was convicted of theft by check between $20 and $200 in 1982 at the age of 44. She was sentenced to 12 months in jail, which was probated for 12 months, and paid a $50 fine. ·

Shelanda Renee Jackson, 42, of Houston, was convicted of unlawfully carrying a weapon in 1988 at the age of 18. She was sentenced to three days in jail, and paid a $500 fine. ·

Annup Raj Joshi, 39, of Tallahassee, Fla., was convicted of theft of property between $50 and $500 in 1997 at the age of 25. He was sentenced to six months in jail, which was probated for two years, and paid a $500 fine. ·

Michael Curtis Owings, 67, of Bay St. Louis, Miss., was convicted of burglary of a coin-operated machine and breaking and entering a coin-operated machine in 1964 at the age of 20. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Cheri Hope Williams, 47 of College Station, was convicted of shoplifting in 1983 at the age of 19. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail, which was probated for 180 days, and paid a $300 fine. # #

Farouk Shami Joins Maria Bello, Patricia Arquette, and

Kim Kardashian on Charity Mission to Haiti

IMMEDIATE RELEASE –In the true spirit of the giving season, Farouk Shami, founder and chairman of Farouk Systems, makers of CHI and BioSilk, collaborated with Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, actresses Maria Bello (co-founder of We Advance) and Patricia Arquette (co-founder of Give Love) and the Sow a Seed organization to spread a little holiday cheer to the Haitian children and families who need it most. Farouk accompanied and provided air transportation for the group’s four day relief trip, December 8-11, 2011 to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and some of the country’s poorest areas in need of aid.

To ensure the scheduled relief trip occurred as planned, Farouk and the We Advance team stocked the CHI plane with medical supplies, hygiene kits, 1,000 CHI Organics kits and other basic necessities and took flight. Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian joined Farouk on the CHI plane. Included on the group’s whirlwind agenda: visiting the Artists for Peace & Justice School, replenishing supplies at the We Advance clinics, partaking in weekly bath day activities, attending a Haitian fashion show put on by local women and designers, and joining Sow a Seed for their annual Christmas party bringing joy and holiday gifts to 500 orphans from across the island. The trip commenced with an intimate meeting with the President of Haiti, Michel Martelly, to discuss the current state of affairs in Haiti.

“I am extremely grateful, and humbled, that we are able to provide and be a part of this incredible opportunity,” Farouk said. “To be able to give the gift of clean water, health care and hygiene products is inexplicable. Daily necessities most people take for granted are life changing items in Haiti. I’m honored that Maria and the We Advance organization thought of us when planning this charitable effort.”

The We Advance Organization was established in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in January 2010 and works mainly in the Wharf Jeremy and Cite Soleil slums. They aim to educate community leaders in the aspects of health, safety and education as well as empower the minds of Haitian women and bring light and awareness to Gender Based Violence. They currently operate 2 health clinics in Haiti. Find out more about the We Advance Organization at www.weadvance.org.

The Sow a Seed Organization was founded in 2004 and they assist struggling orphanages in Haiti with food, water, shelter, education and healthcare. They are also dedicated to educating parents in Haiti and providing resources to keep families together. For more information about Sow a Seed visit www.sowaseed.org.