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STATE HEADLINES

2 contractors pled guilty in corruption case
McALLEN, Texas — Two contractors pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges Monday for offering thousands of dollars in kickbacks to four former Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District school board members and ex-superintendent Arturo Guajardo.

President Bush wants gate near new Dallas home
DALLAS — President George W. Bush wants a gate installed along a public street to limit access to his new home in an affluent Dallas neighborhood, city officials said.

Cash Five Texas results
AUSTIN — Results of the Cash 5 drawing Monday night:

Texas Two Step results
AUSTIN — Results of the Texas Two Step drawing Monday night:

Daily 4 results _ evening drawing
AUSTIN — The winning Daily 4 numbers drawn Monday night by the Texas Lottery, in order:

Pick 3 results _ nighttime drawing
AUSTIN — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Monday night by the Texas Lottery, in order:

Warmer weather expected after day of freezing rain
Frigid rain and near-freezing temperatures caused power outages and airport delays in North Texas and nearly 100 wrecks during the morning rush-hour in Lubbock on Monday, but meteorologists were predicting warmer weather for Tuesday.

A timeline of Craddick's career
A look at Republican Speaker Tom Craddick's 40-year career in the Texas House of Representatives:

Straus heir apparent for Texas speaker
AUSTIN — Rep. Joe Straus all but laid claim to the powerful office of House speaker Monday, holding a triumphant news conference in the state capitol and laying out his vision for a new era of bipartisan leadership in the Texas House.

Austin woman sentenced in mothball in soup case
AUSTIN — An Austin woman who put mothballs in soup at a store's self-serve kiosk in 2007 has been ordered to undergo mental health treatment and to stay away from the grocery chain unless escorted by another adult.

5 homeless shelter residents killed in Texas fire
PARIS, Texas — A fire fueled by donated clothes ripped through a homeless shelter in this small Northeast Texas town early Monday, killing five residents as some tried dousing the blaze with pans of water.

Port Arthur businessman pleads guilty, Rita fraud
BEAUMONT, Texas — A Texas businessman faces up to five years in prison and paying more than $1 million in restitution over Hurricane Rita-related fraud.

Windows shot out of about 75 vehicles in Waco area
WACO, Texas — Waco police suspect somebody trying out a gun, perhaps received as a gift over the holidays, is to blame for dozens of vehicles having their windows shot out.

Army officials say force is ready to shift
FORT BLISS, Texas — The Army's top three officials said Monday the mammoth force is ready to shift its combat focus from Iraq to Afghanistan.

Texas takes custody of 5 Lubbock children
LUBBOCK, Texas — The state got permanent custody Monday of five of the seven children who authorities said they found in a filthy, rat-infested home where their mother had stored her miscarried fetus in the refrigerator.

Extradited drug suspects appear in court
HOUSTON — A group of men alleged to be members of notorious Mexican drug cartels made their first court appearances in the U.S. on Monday.

Texas House Speaker: "Friday Night Massacre 2007"
AUSTIN — On the night that has become known as the Friday Night Massacre, coup plotters unsuccessfully tried to oust Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick from office on May 25, 2007. As the night dragged on House Democratic Caucus Chair Jim Dunnam pressed Craddick on why the leader would not recognize his critics for a motion to oust him. Parliamentarians Ron Wilson and Terry Keel, both former House members, had suddenly appeared as Craddick's new rules advisors shortly after his long time parliamentarians resigned in protest.

Grain quotes, High Plains & Gulf
Texas High Plains cash grain markets, compared to the last report on Dec. 31, closed 7 cents to 8 cents higher on grain sorghum, 12 cents higher on wheat, mostly 12 cents higher on soybeans and 4 cents higher on corn.

San Angelo national sheep auction report
SAN ANGELO, Texas — San Angelo national sheep auction report for Monday, Jan. 5, 2009:

State Editorial Rdp
A sampling of editorial opinion around Texas:

Fire damages Port Arthur school building
PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Investigators suspect arson in an overnight fire that devastated a building shared by two Port Arthur public schools.

Foundation won't disclose Bush library donors
DALLAS — Donors to the new presidential library probably will remain a mystery, according to the nonprofit foundation overseeing its fundraising.

American Eagle reports smoke, lands OK in Killeen
KILLEEN, Texas — An American Eagle plane bound from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Killeen landed safely after the crew reported smoke in the cockpit.

Daily 4 results _ afternoon drawing
AUSTIN — The winning Daily 4 numbers drawn Monday afternoon by the Texas Lottery, in order:

Pick 3 results _ afternoon drawing
AUSTIN — The winning Pick 3 numbers drawn Monday afternoon by the Texas Lottery, in order:

Hispanic radio industry pioneer dies
HARLINGEN, Texas — McHenry Taylor Tichenor Sr., who helped develop the Hispanic radio industry in the United States, has died at the age of 76.

Fort Worth cash grain prices
FORT WORTH, Texas — Fort Worth grain report for Friday:

Texas House speaker throws in the towel
AUSTIN — Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick, the longest serving Republican in state elective office, has given up his hard-fought bid for a fourth term.

Texas legislators will push new immigration laws
DALLAS — Some state lawmakers want to revive immigration discussions by proposing more than a dozen bills that among other things would punish employers for hiring unauthorized workers, challenge the U.S. citizenship of immigrants' U.S-born children and reverse a Texas law that allows undocumented college students to pay in-state tuition.

Galveston city worker dies at treatment plant
GALVESTON, Texas — A 46-year-old Galveston city employee is dead after he fell about 20 feet into a storage tank at the city's main wastewater treatment plant.

2 found dead at Lake Lavon
DALLAS — Authorities are investigating the deaths of a 9-year-old boy and his grandfather, whose bodies were found at Lake Lavon.

Company caring for elderly in Texas under fire
DALLAS — A health care company hired to manage a program for elderly Texans as part of a broad privatization plan was fined more than $1 million by the state in the past year over mounting complaints that included delayed or denied medical care.

State senator seeks end to straight-ticket voting
AUSTIN — A San Antonio state senator wants to revive efforts to eliminate the straight-ticket voting option, even after Texans hit a 10-year high in the percentage of ballots sticking entirely with one party.

Winning Lotto Texas numbers
AUSTIN — Results of the Lotto Texas drawing Saturday night:

2 people killed in Denton County plane crash
JUSTIN, Texas — Two people were killed when a small single-engine plane crashed as it prepared to land at a southwest Denton County airport on Saturday.