Texas Round Up

Welcome back Chief! Salud.

It's raining in Moulton. Yipee!

Texas remains alive beating some Not-Texas team 60-52. Hook 'em!

"When Kimberly Marciniak first decided to take a stand against standardized testing by boycotting the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, critics from all sides begged her to change her mind.

Since public school students in Texas must pass the test to earn a high school diploma, teachers and guidance counselors worried the intelligent young girl was throwing away her chances for college. A guest on a local radio talk show said she'd made a "stupidly stubborn decision."

Now Marciniak, 18, has the ultimate "I told you so." She has been accepted to her top three college choices and offered scholarships from each one.

Marciniak is part of a growing contingent of students nationwide showing their opposition to high-stakes testing by putting down their pencils." MySA.com

"Bandak is among the throng of talent scouts, lawyers and promoters who, contrary to popular belief, go to the music festival to see if the bands live up to the hype and are worth signing, not necessarily to discover unknown talent in some obscure venue.

'A lot of bands that end up getting, say, the major label deals ... there's already a good sense that they're a viable commodity," said Brent Grulke, the festival's creative director. "These are acts that are already in a position to be signed, and they doubtless would be signed with or without South by Southwest.'" AP Newswire

"If current CHIP trends persist, about 117,000 more children could lose coverage by the end of June, the group warns.

'I think it's a crisis. We can't afford to lose any more children from the program," said Barbara Best, Texas executive director of the Children's Defense Fund, based in Houston. "Enrollments should be growing, not shrinking. It's the children who are suffering.'" chron.com