Five stories that have North Texas talking: Details emerge about the man who shot at downtown Austin buildings; Texas will spend an additional $86 million to beef up border security; animal lovers will gather for a candlelight vigil in Fort Worth; and more.
A Texas man who shot up downtown Austin buildings and tried to burn the Mexican Consulate before he was gunned down by police harbored extremist right-wing views and appeared to be planning a broader attack against churches and government facilities, officials say. Larry McQuilliams, 49, had multiple weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and a map of 34 downtown buildings that likely were potential targets in Friday鈥檚 pre-dawn rampage, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said. He also had the words "Let me die" written on his chest, [Associated Press]
- What can Texas schools do to help immigrant students? It's the focus of the latest installment in a Julian Vasquez Heilig has spent years studying how schools educate immigrants. He鈥檚 a professor at California State University, Sacramento, and shared his thoughts on what can be done to help immigrant students, high-stakes testing, and a possible breakthrough in North Texas. Listen to his interview . And
- Texas will spend an additional $86 million to beef up border security. The Legislative Budget Board on Monday approved Governor Rick Perry鈥檚 plans to replace Texas National Guard units with state troopers. Democrats on the board expressed concerns about a militarized border. Illegal crossings along the Rio Grande have slowed dramatically since this summer. Still, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, a Republican, said an emergency continues along the border 鈥� and that the so-called surge of additional enforcement is necessary. [Associated Press]
- Animal lovers will gather at 6 p.m. at Fort Worth City Hall to hold a candlelight vigil for the animals who have been euthanized at the city animal shelter. Too many cats and dogs are killed in the city shelter, the vigil organizers say. Learn more about the vigil .
- Platon, a photographer for the New Yorker and other magazines, will speak at 8 p.m. at SMU. He鈥檚 the latest speaker in the university鈥檚 . SMU says he has photographed well-known world figures, including more than 120 heads of state. 鈥淧laton has produced more than 20 covers for TIME magazine and his photo of Vladimir Putin for the magazine鈥檚 2007 鈥楶erson of the Year鈥� cover won first prize at the World Press Photo Contest. He has exhibited in New York at the Matthew Marks Gallery and the Howard Greenberg Gallery, as well as at the Colette Gallery in Paris.
