Latest news with #American-Statesman
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Automotive
- Canada Standard
Max Verstappen admits George Russell incident 'not right'
(Photo credit: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK) Max Verstappen admitted Monday that his controversial collision with George Russell in Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix was 'not right and shouldn't have happened.' Verstappen, the four-time defending Formula 1 champion, stopped short of apologizing for the incident that earned him a 10-second penalty and dropped him to 10th place in Barcelona. Late in the race, Verstappen initially objected to his Red Bull Racing team's order to allow Mercedes' Russell to swap positions after a tire change. After allowing Russell to pass, Verstappen accelerated heading into a turn and caused a collision. Race stewards deemed Verstappen was entirely at fault, penalized him 10 seconds and also added three penalty points to his super license. The 27-year-old Dutch driver now has 11 points, one short of the maximum allowed in a 12-month period before warranting an automatic one-race suspension. Russell agreed with the stewards' decision, calling Verstappen's move was 'very deliberate.' 'It's something that I've seen numerous times in sim racing and on iRacing. Never have I seen it in a Formula 1 race,' Russell told reporters post-race. Verstappen, who crossed the finish line fifth prior to receiving the penalty, issued his comments on Monday on Instagram. 'Some moves after the safety car restart fueled my frustration, leading to a move that was not right and shouldn't have happened,' he wrote. 'I always give everything out there for the team and emotions can run high. You win some together, you lose some together. See you in Montreal (the next race).' Oscar Piastri won Sunday's race with McLaren teammate Lando Norris finishing second and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Statesman reporters win Education Writers top honor for fatal Hays bus crash investigation
A team of Austin American-Statesman journalists who spent nine months investigating the state's deadliest school bus crash in nearly a decade last year received the highest honor Friday from the national Education Writers Association. The Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize for Distinguished Education Reporting was presented to Latino community affairs reporter Emiliano Tahui Gómez, education reporter Keri Heath and Tony Plohetski, associate editor for investigations, who co-authored and oversaw the reporting. The prize, awarded in St. Louis at the group's annual conference, comes with $10,000. The team was selected among 14 of 17 category winners in the 2024 national awards for education reporting. The four-part series, 'A Fatal Field Trip,' investigated the March 2024 crash in Bastrop County involving a Hays school bus returning from a trip to a zoo. The crash killed a 5-year-old student on the bus and a man traveling in a car behind the bus after a concrete pumper truck crossed lanes and hit the bus. The driver of the truck was indicted on charges of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. The reporting team revealed how a school district's decision to deploy a bus without seat belts likely contributed to injuries and death; how a lack of regulation — and reduced enforcement of existing regulations — left a dangerous driver on the road; and how after the crash, families were left to fend for themselves because of a lack of programs and services to help them emotionally heal. The Education Writers Association also honored the work with a first-place prize in investigative and public service reporting. Judges wrote that the reporters "tied together disparate strands usually not woven in a news package." They added that they were "impressed by several aspects of this investigation: the deep sourcing with families and centering their stories; the excellent use of public records and analyzing the data related to buses with seat belts, inspections and more; and the 360 approach to the questions of what went wrong and what could have prevented this tragedy." Statesman Editor in Chief Courtney Sebesta said that the work exemplifies accountability journalism at its highest level. "There were so many layers of failure before and after this ill-fated event," said Sebesta. "These families deserved to know about regulation lapses and the public needs to understand the lack of resources available to help victims heal after an incident like this." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Statesman journalists win EWA top prize for fatal bus crash coverage
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How a $350M nuclear power proposal could transform Texas' energy landscape
A sweeping proposal to provide up to $350 million to private companies to help them build advanced nuclear power generation plants in Texas is one step away from reaching Gov. Greg Abbott's desk after the House author said Thursday that he expects the chamber to accept tweaks made by the Senate. "Yessir," state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, told the American-Statesman in a text message response to a question about whether he'll recommend sending the Senate's version of the bill to the governor. Abbott signaled early in the legislative session that he looks forward to signing such a measure into law. House Bill 14, by Harris and sponsored in the Senate by Georgetown Republican Sen. Charles Schwertner, would establish the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and the Advanced Nuclear Development Fund under the governor's office. The new agency and funding arm would assess the need for additional nuclear generation or explore ways to promote future plant construction. The bill sets up guidelines and benchmarks for companies planning to develop nuclear plants to help meet Texas' seemingly insatiable appetite for electric power, and it makes available public financial assistance for both planning and constructing power plants. "Advancements in nuclear energy offer a promising opportunity to strengthen our electric grid with reliable, dispatchable generation while supporting the growth of this innovative industry," Schwertner said as he explained the Senate version of HB 14. Both chambers passed the bill with bipartisan support, though there was some skepticism expressed about the funding provisions. "Would it not make more sense to maybe do a revolving loan so that they (power companies) would pay them back and we could re-enter and save more money into the system and encourage more nuclear development?" state Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, asked Schwertner. The proposed grant system would be a more persuasive tool, Schwertner responded. Plus, he added, the legislation contains payback provisions if companies do not deliver what they promised. "They do have risk," he said. Under HB 14, the state Public Utility Commission will develop a framework to tie grant amounts to the amount of electric generation a project would produce. In his State of the State address shortly after the Legislature convened in January, Abbott called for a "nuclear renaissance" in Texas to ensure that the rapidly growing state can meet the demand for power that comes with not only adding to its population, but also attracting more commercial and industrial development. Texas is home to two nuclear power plants, but both are aging. The Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant's first phase was completed in 1990 after several delays and setbacks since construction began in 1974. The second phase of the plant, which is about 60 miles southwest of Fort Worth, went online in 1993. The South Texas Project in Matagorda County, about 90 miles south of Houston, began operations in 1988. More: Why Texas A&M University wants state-of-the-art nuclear power plants on its campus As of last year, there were 54 commercially operating nuclear power plants with 94 nuclear power reactors in 28 states, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Illinois has 11 reactors, the most of any state. The nation's largest nuclear power source, the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia, has four reactors. The average age of all U.S. nuclear plants is around 42. Reed Clay, president of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, called the legislation "a giant leap forward for our state and our country." He predicted it would revive an industry that "was all but dead for decades." "With the passage of H.B. 14 and associated legislation, Texas is positioned to lead a nuclear renaissance that is now rightly seen as imperative for the energy security and national security of the United States," Clay said in a statement to the Statesman. Meanwhile, Texas A&M University's research-focused RELLIS campus near the system's flagship institution is working to develop a nuclear generation project just a fraction of the size of traditional nuclear plants like those in Comanche Peak, and the South Texas Project. The university's permit is awaiting approval from the NRC. Also, Natura Resources is seeking federal approval for a nuclear plant in Abilene. The first small modular reactor in Texas will be located on Dow's Seadrift plant just north of San Antonio Bay near Victoria. Dow is partnering with the company X-energy on the project that was bolstered by an initial $80 million grant from the U.S. Energy Department. The formal permit application was filed with the NRC in March. Called "small modular reactors," the newer-generation plants are a fraction of the size and can be manufactured offsite, trucked to their permanent locations and buried underground, which proponents say is both safer and better protects them from being targeted by terrorists or other hostile forces. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas lawmakers near nuclear bill passage. How it'll help power grid.
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatens death penalty for illegal migrant suspects in fatal jet ski hit-and-run of teen Air Force recruit
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened the death penalty for two illegal immigrants suspected in the fatal jet ski hit-and-run of 18-year-old Air Force recruit, Ava Moore. 'Welcome to Texas. Here's your death penalty,' the Republican wrote in a post on X, with a news video about the deadly incident and the arrest of the suspects. Moore, who had only just joined the US Air Force, died after she was struck by a jet ski while kayaking on Grapevine Lake on Sunday evening. 3 Governor Abbott threatened the death penalty for the two illegal immigrants suspected in the death of Ava Moore. Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images 3 Daikerlyn Gonzalez and Maikel Coello were arrested in connection with Ava Moore's death. Texas Parks and Wildlife 3 Ava Moore was killed in a jet ski hit-and-run incident. GoFundMe Daikerlyn Alejandra Gonzalez Gonzalez and an unnamed male suspect were both arrested on Tuesday after a standoff with police at their Dallas-area home, according to Fox 4. Gonzalez was on the jet ski with another woman when they allegedly crashed into Moore before she fled the scene with the other suspect in a car, hitting another vehicle as they bolted. The other woman on the jet ski remained behind and was interviewed by cops.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Hew to the truth': Ronnie Dugger, founding editor of Texas Observer, has died at age 95.
Ronnie Dugger, a titan of Texas journalism and founding editor of the Texas Observer, died this morning in Austin following a history of Alzheimer's disease. He had recently turned 95. "Ronnie was a man who towered over his colleagues in Texas journalism for decades," said Ben Sargent, retired Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist for the American-Statesman who now contributes to the Texas Observer. "His career, his passion for the Texas Observer and its mission, and his powerful and fearless body of work were always directed toward the noblest things about the American democracy, toward the good of the people, and most of all toward the truth. We can only hope that Ronnie will serve as an inspiration and example to the journalists who need to take up those causes going forward." In 1954, at a time when the conservative wing of the Democratic Party dominated politics in the state, Dugger, who had studied journalism at University of Texas before attending Oxford University, agreed to lead the progressive Texas Observer newspaper. He wrote this statement for the paper's masthead: "We will serve no group or party but will hew to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it." More: Tom Spencer, civic leader and Austin PBS talent, dies at age 68 While editor of the UT Daily Texan newspaper (1950-1951), Dugger became known to a group of leaders who organized the Texas Observer to give the state's liberals a voice. "Ronnie had been a liberal crusader during his tenure at the Daily Texan, whose public denunciations of the demagogic U.S. Senator Joe McCarthy during the Red Scare had attracted the attention of progressive Democrats in Texas," said Don Carleton, founding director of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. "He accepted their offer after they agreed to give him exclusive editorial control of the journal." As, at various times, a writer, editor and publisher at the newspaper over the course of some 40 years, Dugger attracted and guided some of the leading literary and journalistic talents of the day, including Billy Lee Brammer, Molly Ivins, Willie Morris, Kay Northcott and Jim Hightower. Among the newspaper's other distinguished staff and contributors — some of whom arrived after Dugger's tenure there, but share in the tradition he molded — were the first woman to serve as Texas Secretary of State, Minnie Fisher Cunningham; folklorist and author J. Frank Dobie; humorist and First Amendment defender John Henry Faulk; economist James K. Galbraith; writer and editor Dagoberto Gilb; investigative reporter Jake Bernstein; novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry; and photographer Alan Pogue. In his classic 1967 memoir, "North Toward Home," Morris described Dugger as "not only one of the great reporters of our time in America; more than that, he had imbued an entire group of young and inexperienced colleagues with a feel for Texas, for 'commitment' in the most human sense, and for writing." Early on, Dugger tangled with conservative Democratic Gov. Allan Shivers, who ran for office on a racist platform and supported Dwight D. Eisenhower for president. "Dugger dug his talons into Gov. Allan Shivers," journalist and author Larry L. King wrote in his book "In Search of Willie Morris." King listed other Dugger targets: "conservative state legislators, uncaring corporations, fat-cat lobbyists, the reactionary Dallas Morning News, LBJ, and any person or institution who failed his high standards of honesty and caring." Dugger took particular aim at the most powerful Texan, future President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who unsuccessfully tried to enlist the journalist as a confidant. "Lyndon Johnson loathed what Ronnie wrote about him because it was so on target," said Bill Moyers, journalist and White House Press Secretary during the LBJ administration. Dugger "constantly tried to figure him out so he could either convert him or compromise him — he failed." More: Late Lee Kelly, former Austin American-Statesman society columnist, influenced civic life During an interview conducted in the White House dining room while LBJ was president, Dugger asked bluntly: "Mr. President, you've told us in the first half-hour of a nuclear exchange between the United States and Russia, 400 million people will die. Now: What should a journalist like me tell the people out there about that?" "Johnson told me a joke, then got mad at me for asking the question," Dugger told the American-Statesman in 2012. "While he was cursing me for being a liberal that didn't understand the problem, Johnson says, 'I'm the one who has to mash the button. I'm the one.'" "Dugger's editorials were fearless and often deeply contrary to the political views of even his financial backers," Carleton said. "For example, his editorials attacked the federal oil depletion tax deduction that benefitted the oil and gas industry, despite the discomfort of one of his strongest supporters, wealthy oilman J. R. Parten. Other editorials strongly criticized the insurance industry, despite the critical financial backing he received from insurance company executive Bernard Rapoport. In later years, when Rapoport was asked to make a comment about Dugger, he said that Dugger's strength was 'in his total commitment' to his causes. 'A sense of outrage at injustice flows from his pen onto a piece of paper. That is his outstanding characteristic to me.'' Lou Dubose, who landed a job at the Texas Observer in the 1980s and served as political editor of the Austin Chronicle before becoming editor of the Washington Spectator, an independent political publication, admired Dugger's principles. "Ronnie was a quixotic liberal who never gave up on the ideal that by speaking truth to power, journalism could play a role in creating a just and equitable society, which seems like a quaint notion today," Dubose said. "When he hired me in 1984, he urged me to find my way into the homes of people who are left behind and ignored and write 'with Dickensian detail about the cracks in their walls and their broken lives.'" Through editorials and investigative journalism, Dugger tried mightily to improve society, but he remained unconvinced that people would end up doing the right thing. "I think there are two subjects that really ought to worry us," Dugger told the American-Statesman. "That is: The future of our own country, as citizens. And the extinction of the human race, by ourselves." Dugger was born April 16, 1930, in Chicago. In 2012, American-Statesman journalist Brad Buchholz wrote a long, admiring profile of Dugger as a "free man" at age 81. In one of the best descriptions of Dugger's independence and moral dedication, Buchholz described an incident when a 21-year-old Dugger reflected on life and its choices after his car broke down on a cold road west of Austin during the early 1950s. "While I was out there, the thought came into my mind that I was not going to do anybody else's work," Dugger told Buchholz. "I decided what I had to do with my life was sort of like the scout on Western caravans who went ahead and looked for the ambushes and big rivers, and came back and talked to the people who had to turn the wagons. "That's the way I see my life. ... It's kind of a lonely self-image. ... I tell people I'm closest to that I've always been lonely; I don't know why ... but the operative idea that night was that I'd rather disappear into total oblivion than to give my life over to anything but my own work." More: Austin WWII internment camp survivor Isamu Taniguchi built Japanese Garden in Zilker Park He married twice, first to Jean Williams and then to Patricia Blake, both deceased. He and his first wife had two children, Gary Dugger and Celia Dugger, health and science editor for The New York Times. Dugger left Texas in the 1980s after he married writer and editor Patricia Blake. He spent almost 20 years in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he inspired the populist movement Alliance for Democracy. After Blake died in 2010, Dugger came back to Austin. In 2011, Dugger won recognition for his cumulative career at the annual George Polk Awards, given by Long Island University for "intrepid, bold and influential work of the reporters themselves, placing a premium on investigative work that is original, resourceful and thought-provoking." "Ronnie was an outstanding example of an important American historical type: the muckraker," the Briscoe Center's Carleton said. "Although he never held office, his political opinions and reports were widely noted, if not well acknowledged. His work has shed much-needed light on public corruption, social injustice, the critical need to protect a liberal education and economic inequality." Dugger wrote books as well as articles for national magazines, and helped found progressive nonprofits. Yet his enduring legacy was the Texas Observer. "When I visited Ronnie at his home two years ago, Ronnie's grasp of the world around him was slipping away," Dubose said. "But he was making plans to start a movement like the Alliance for Democracy, the quixotic national progressive group he cofounded in the mid-nineties. We would publish a call to action in the Observer and begin a nonviolent progressive revolution." In March 2023, the board of directors of nonprofit Texas Democracy Foundation, which owns the Observer, announced that the newspaper would close down because of financial difficulties. Yet soon after, the staff led a fundraising campaign that kept it going. "I still think of Ronnie driving to Mayflower, Texas, a year after creating the Observer in 1954," Dubose said. "A subscriber had tipped him off about the murder of a Black teenager, treated as spot news by the local media. Ronnie was a white reporter from a liberal newspaper, walking into a Jim Crow town. He worked local sources to identify the murderer, walked up to his house to question him, and then asked the local sheriff if the shooter was on his list of suspects. "That work defined what Ronnie Dugger stood for as a journalist." This is a developing story. Check back for additional material. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Observer founding editor Ronnie Dugger has died at age 95
