JUAN A. LOZANO

Associated Press Writer
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Man gets 14 years in immigrant smuggling case

A Texas man has been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison for his role in what became the deadliest human smuggling attempt in U.S. history.

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Stepfather convicted in death of 'Baby Grace'

Two years after the remains of a toddler who came to be known as "Baby Grace" were dumped in Galveston Bay, the child's stepfather was convicted of capital murder in her beating death.

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Texas exec pleads guilty in oil smuggling scheme

The head of a San Antonio energy business on Friday became the third man in two weeks to plead guilty for his role in brokering the sale of stolen petroleum products from Mexico.

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BP asks for more time to make plant improvements

Oil giant BP PLC is requesting more time to implement required safety improvements at its Texas City refinery where a 2005 explosion left 15 people dead, the U.S. agency responsible for worker safety said Wednesday.

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Texas announces $135.4M coastal protection plan

Texas announced Monday that it was embarking on the biggest coastal protection effort in state history to fight beach erosion and defend against future hurricanes.

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Southeast Texas bouncing back a year after Ike

Anne Willis, a lifelong resident of Bolivar Peninsula, moved back to her hometown of Crystal Beach nearly three months after Hurricane Ike.

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Texas mother gets 99 years for mutilating son

A Houston-area mother convicted of mutilating her infant by cutting off his genitals two years ago was sentenced Monday to 99 years in prison.

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Jury convicts Texas mom of mutilating infant son

A Houston mother was convicted Friday of mutilating her infant son by cutting off his genitals two years ago during an attack she blamed on the family dog.

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Ex-congressman accused of firing at teens OKs deal

A former Houston congressman accused of firing a gun at two teens in a car avoided going to trial Monday after working out a deal with prosecutors that would result in the charge against him being dropped at a later date.

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Stanford attorneys appeal judge's no bond decision

Texas financier R. Allen Stanford is not a flight risk and a federal judge's decision to keep him jailed while awaiting trial on fraud charges should be reversed, his lawyers said in an appeal filed Monday.

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Texas mulls massive `Ike Dike' to prevent flooding

It has been dubbed the "Ike Dike" — a 55-mile barrier, 17 feet high, that would be built along the Texas Gulf Coast to fend off the sort of devastating flooding inflicted by last year's Hurricane Ike.

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Judge revokes bond for Texas financier Stanford

Texas financier R. Allen Stanford could spend up to the next year in jail awaiting his trial on charges he allegedly swindled investors out of $7 billion.

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Judge delays financier Stanford's release on bond

Texas financier R. Allen Stanford, facing trial on charges he swindled investors out of $7 billion, will spend the weekend behind bars after a federal judge Friday ruled to delay his release on bond.

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Memories of Ike weigh on Texas beach city's summer

Another hurricane season is the last thing Galveston wants to think about after last year's devastation from Hurricane Ike.

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Colombian paramilitary member sentenced in Texas

A member of a Colombian paramilitary group has been sentenced in a Texas federal court to 7 1/2 years for plotting to acquire anti-aircraft missiles and other powerful weapons in exchange for cocaine.

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Sailor sues over safety of pirated Maersk Alabama

A member of the crew on the U.S.-flagged ship hijacked by African pirates sued the owner and another company Monday, accusing them of knowingly putting sailors in danger. Richard E. Hicks alleges in the suit that owner Maersk Line Limited and Waterman Steamship Corp., which provided the crew, ignored requests to improve safety measures for vessels sailing along the Somali coast.

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Boy suspect's family blames 7-year-old in death

The family of a 12-year-old boy accused of killing an infant by throwing him to the floor believes that the baby's 7-year-old brother is responsible for the death, a family spokesman said Thursday.

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Texas boy, 12, charged with murder of thrown baby

A 12-year-old suspended from school for fighting killed a 10-month-old baby by throwing him to the floor at a home where several young children were unsupervised, officials said Wednesday.

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Body found in search for drowned Texas girl, 4

Searchers believe they've found the body of a 4-year-old girl who drowned with four other children in a Houston car wreck.

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After Ike, spring breakers come to Galveston

Tourism officials are calling this month's spring break on Galveston Island — which is still rebuilding after Hurricane Ike — a success.

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Double jeopardy in before US Supreme Court

A former Enron Corp. executive is hoping a little known component of the Fifth Amendment's double jeopardy clause will help him avoid a retrial on charges related to financial fraud at the once mighty energy giant.

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Texas islanders hold out hope despite Ike, economy

Good news has been in short supply since Hurricane Ike laid waste to much of this island beach town six months ago Friday.

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Judge 'unfreezes' some Stanford accounts

A federal judge issued an order Thursday lifting a freeze on about 12,000 investor accounts with Texas billionaire R. Allen Stanford that were valued at $250,000 or less as of Feb. 28, at the request of the court-appointed receiver in the Stanford case.

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Judge in sex crimes case could face impeachment

U.S. House Judiciary Committee members, worried a federal judge could still receive his full salary even after pleading guilty this week in a sex crimes case, are looking at possible impeachment proceedings against the convicted jurist.

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Ike-damaged Galveston goes on with Mardi Gras fest

Hundreds of revelers gathered Saturday to celebrate an annual Mardi Gras tradition in a show of support for this island ravaged by Hurricane Ike's powerful storm surge just five months ago.

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