HOUSTON (AP) — A judge has delayed next week’s scheduled execution of a man convicted of killing three teenagers while they slept in a Texas Panhandle home more than 25 years ago. John Balentine, 54, had been set to receive a lethal injection at the state prison in Huntsville on Feb. 8. He was condemned for the January 1998 shooting deaths of Edward Mark Caylor, 17, Kai Brooke Geyer, 15, and Steven Watson, also 15, at a home in Amarillo. Caylor was the brother of Balentine’s former girlfriend and prosecutors said the shootings were the result of a feud between Caylor and Balentine. Balentine was arrested in Houston six months after the slayings. Evidence at the trial showed all three victims were shot once in the head as they slept in a tiny house where Balentine also once lived. On Tuesday, state District Judge Steven Denny in Potter County withdrew Balentine’s execution date and warrant because the inmate’s attorneys had not been properly notified of the execution date and … [Read more...] about Execution of man convicted in killing of 3 in Texas delayed
Talking about delays
Lewis Hamilton talks about balancing success against the ‘huge come-down’
Acknowledging that success is “short-lived”, Lewis Hamilton says he’s had to work on balancing those emotions against the “huge come-down” after a grand prix weekend. Hamilton has tasted Formula 1 success 103 times, the Briton holding the record for the most grand prix wins ever having pipped Michael Schumacher’s 91 back in 2020. That season the Briton also claimed his seventh Drivers’ Championship title, a record he holds with Schumacher. But while for most people looking in from the outside it would be difficult to find a negative in all of the above, there is one – the come-down. Speaking in the ‘On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast’ , Hamilton explained: “When you have success, it’s so short-lived, it is really, really short-lived. “You win a race, then you go back home. “As a racing driver the weekend is so intense, there’s so much energy, so much… It’s really, really a stressful environment for everyone that’s working within it. “Then you go home and there’s a huge … [Read more...] about Lewis Hamilton talks about balancing success against the ‘huge come-down’
For some, life after Ian is ‘more tragic than the hurricane itself’
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - Some nights, Tara Boyd wishes she and her husband had just given up when the eight-foot storm surge from Hurricane Ian flooded their mobile home, forcing them to swim out into the storm. It would have been "easy to let go and just drift away," she said. But they fought to survive. And they've been doing that ever since. She hates to admit that living after Ian feels harder than living through its terror. She can't help it, especially on the really hard, frustrating days spent at a Federal Emergency Management Agency recovery center obtaining no real answers about the progress of their aid applications and then getting into their black Dodge Nitro, which they've been living out of since November. Boyd, 43, thinks about it when she watches her husband, Gerald Boyd, a veteran who was still recovering from a stroke when the storm hit in September, squeeze his long, hulking frame into the passenger seat at night to sleep. To deal with his cramping legs and … [Read more...] about For some, life after Ian is ‘more tragic than the hurricane itself’
Winter storm lingers in southern US, but relief is forecast
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 27 AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A mess of ice, sleet and snow lingered across much of the southern U.S. as thousands in Texas endured freezing temperatures with no power, including many in the state capital of Austin, but a warming trend was forecast to bring relief from the deadly storm Thursday. However, an Arctic cold front is expected to move from Canada into the northern Plains and Upper Midwest and sweep into the Northeast by Friday, bringing snow and bitter cold with windchills of more than minus 50 (minus 45 Celsius) in northern New England, according to the National Weather Service. More than 400,000 customers in Texas lacked power early Thursday as trees, heavy with ice, buckled onto power lines, according to PowerOutage, a website tracking … [Read more...] about Winter storm lingers in southern US, but relief is forecast
How hard seltzers are holding up the long-awaited expansion of Connecticut’s bottle return program
Frustrations over Connecticut’s roll out of a long-awaited expansion to the “Bottle Bill” that increases the number of beverages eligible for a deposit have spilled over into a public fight over the re-nomination of one of Gov. Ned Lamont’s cabinet secretaries, and sent top Democrats rushing to smooth over tensions with new legislation clarifying the nearly two-year-old law. The state’s commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, Katie Dykes, is facing an unusual delay in the typical formality of having lawmakers sign off on a governor’s cabinet appointments, particularly those who are already in the position of leading an agency. While House leaders said this week that they ultimately expect to confirm Dykes, they warned that Republican anger over what they describe as a broken agreement to exclude wine-and-spirit-based seltzers from a large expansion of the state’s container redemption return program — better known as the Bottle Bill — could spark … [Read more...] about How hard seltzers are holding up the long-awaited expansion of Connecticut’s bottle return program
How Driver’s Eye camera became a Formula 1 TV gamechanger
Listen to this article On-screen graphics are regularly evolving to aid fans’ understanding of F1, while fresh camera angles and techniques are constantly explored to bring the on-track action alive. But no camera angle has got as close to giving fans a true feeling of what it is like inside the F1 cockpit than Driver’s Eye. Through a small 9mm x 9mm camera fitted to the padding of the helmet, fans are able to get a closer understanding of what the drivers can see through the visor, offering some spectacular footage. One of the finest moments last year came at the opening race in Bahrain, when Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen duelled for a series of laps for the lead. The F1 TV directors were able to switch to the Driver’s Eye camera in Leclerc’s helmet throughout the scrap, giving some incredible insight into how a race-winning overtake is executed from the cockpit. Designing a camera that is capable of delivering broadcast footage while fitting within the … [Read more...] about How Driver’s Eye camera became a Formula 1 TV gamechanger
Nyck de Vries on the mental conundrum he faces in his first full F1 season
Ahead of his first season on the F1 grid, Nyck de Vries has spoken about the “fine” line between focusing on the details and “overthinking” them. This season De Vries’s dream of racing in Formula 1 will be realised, the Dutchman signed by Red Bull to AlphaTauri. He caught the attention of Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, and the rest of the paddock too, with his points-scoring one-off appearance for Williams at last year’s Italian Grand Prix. That led to talks with Marko, the 79-year-old committing De Vries to a multi-year deal although he’s only confirmed as a AlphaTauri driver for the 2023 season. That means the pressure is on for De Vries, but he can’t let it get to him. Speaking about his strengths on this week’s AlphaTauri’s podcast, Tauri Talk , the driver acknowledged that often strengths can also be a weakness and that’s something he has to watch out for. “My commitment, determination but also my perfectionism is a great asset and a strength,” the … [Read more...] about Nyck de Vries on the mental conundrum he faces in his first full F1 season
Otmar Szafnauer has another dig at Oscar Piastri, vows to ‘eliminate loopholes’ in junior contracts
Otmar Szafnauer has vowed to “eliminate the loopholes” that allowed Oscar Piastri, as he put it, “to get out” of the contract Alpine thought they had. Alpine’s plans for their 2023 driver line up were thrown into confusion last season when Fernando Alonso opted against signing a one-year extension and instead committed his future to Aston Martin. The team wasn’t too fazed as they had reserve driver Piastri waiting in the wings and almost immediately announced him as Esteban Ocon’s new team-mate. The Aussie, though, took to social media to refute that and, as the saga played out, F1’s Contract Recognition Board declared the only contract Piastri had with any team for the 2023 F1 season was with McLaren. Alpine finally completed their line up with Pierre Gasly having done a deal with Red Bull to release the Frenchman . But while the CRB declared Alpine definitely did not have a contract with Piastri, only a terms sheet, Szafnauer bills it as a “loophole” that allowed the … [Read more...] about Otmar Szafnauer has another dig at Oscar Piastri, vows to ‘eliminate loopholes’ in junior contracts
How will Honda quitting affect F1? · RaceFans
It now seems inevitable that Honda will announce in a few hours’ time that it is going to sell its F1 team or close it . F1 could be left with only nine teams, drivers will be left without seats, and the continued participation of other manufacturers may be in doubt. How will Honda’s departure affect Formula 1? Three-car teams? Formula One Management is understood to be required to bring at least 20 cars to each Grand Prix (there is some doubt over the exact figure – some suggest it could be as little as 16). If no buyer for the Brackley team is found, F1 will have only nine teams with 18 cars. Therefore it may be necessary for some teams to field three cars. This potentially creates all kinds of complications: How would it be decided which teams run three cars? Would all three be eligible for championship points? Are the FIA and FOM able to demand teams run three cars if they have to? The commercial deal that governs F1, the Concorde Agreement, lapsed some time ago. … [Read more...] about How will Honda quitting affect F1? · RaceFans