The State of Texas: Texas executes white supremacist who organized the murder of James Byrd Jr.

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Take our advice: The Bull x The Horns]( [Texas Monthly]( April 26, 2019 QUOTE OF THE DAY "James' legacy continues to be one of peace and nonviolence. As a result of James' death, laws have been passed to recognize hate crimes and to prosecute accordingly. But laws cannot change the heart of man. We believe that open dialogue is one of the keys to overcoming racial prejudice, which if left unchecked often can lead to racial hatred and acts of violence." —Family members of James Byrd Jr., [following the execution of John King, who was convicted for the murder of their relative.]( On June 7, 1998, King and two others chained 49-year-old Byrd to the back of a truck and dragged him for three miles before abandoning his body. THE LATEST [Dressing Down Parents at Houston’s Madison High School ]( JOHN NOVA LOMAX No shower caps, bonnets, Do-rags, or saggy pants? The principal’s dress code for parents is about more than just school-appropriate attire. [Read more.]( #TMWANDERS READER PHOTOS Big Bend National Park by Rudy Ramirez • [@r]([udyramirez_rrj]( We love seeing how our readers enjoy Texas. Want to join the fun? Tag your best Texas photos #TMwanders on Instagram, and we'll reach out if yours is chosen! We'll feature a new reader post here each Friday. QUIZ ANSWERS We’ll feature a news quiz every Thursday, with answers posted in Friday’s newsletter. Below are the answers for yesterday’s quiz: 1. Sandwich chain Schlotzsky’s recently [rebranded]( itself as Schlotzsky’s Austin Eatery despite being acquired by Atlanta’s Focus Brands in 2006 after filing for bankruptcy. 2. A new ZenDrive study [revealed]( that Houston and Dallas were the two metropolitan regions with the highest rates of distracted driving, with 9.44 and 9.23 percent of drivers, respectively, who drive while on their phones. 3. In the first quarter of 2019, Senator John Cornyn [raised]( over $2 million, giving him more than $7.5 million in cash on hand—the most of any incumbent U.S. senator seeking re-election. 4. On Tuesday, Democrat MJ Hegar announced her bid to [unseat]( Senator John Cornyn. Hegar narrowly lost in last year’s midterm elections to U.S. Representative John Carter. 5. Dallas DA John Creuzot’s open letter [sparked]( outrage among some Republicans, including Governor Abbott, because he stated his office would no longer prosecute cases of theft of “personal items” of less than $750 unless the evidence shows that the alleged theft was for personal gain. [Take our advice: The Bull x The Horns]( OUR TOP STORIES [‘I’m in Danger’: Migrant Parents Face Violence in Mexico Under New Trump Policy]( Asylum seekers forced to stay in Mexico have been robbed, kidnapped, and beaten. [Read more.]( [The Best Thing in Texas: An Escaped Kangaroo Takes a Wimberley Walkabout ]( This marsupial on the lam from an exotic wildlife ranch has become the talk of the Hill Country. [Read more.]( [Enjoy Houston’s Intoxicating Jasmine Air While You Can ]( It’s that magical—and all too brief—time in the city, when the heady blooms seem to make everything a little bit better. [Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Orchestrator of infamous racist attack executed In 1998, white supremacist John William King and two other white men, Lawrence Russell Brewer and Shawn Allen Berry, beat and mutilated James Byrd Jr. before abandoning his body on the side of the road. The hate crime made national headlines and rocked the small town of Jasper, Texas. Twenty-one years later, King, the ringleader of the attack, [was executed by lethal injection on Wednesday after the Supreme Court refused a last-minute appeal from his lawyers.]( Brewer was executed in 2011 and Berry was sentenced to life in prison. “It’s a very, very sad time,” said one of Byrd’s sisters, Clara Byrd Taylor, before the execution. “You don’t feel any satisfaction in observing this, but it is absolutely necessary to send a message: Hate crimes—especially this type of savagery—will not be tolerated in our society.” “Pollenpocalypse” Allergies got you down lately? Bad news. [Climate change may be causing plants to produce more pollen.](The trend could have implications for the millions of people who experience allergies or asthma. In a recent study published in scientific journal The Lancet Planetary Health, researchers from 16 countries examined 26 years of data, concluding that there has been a significant increase in the amount of pollen and the duration of the pollen season. The Latino vote in Pasadena Two years after a court found that the city of Pasadena had deliberately discriminated against Latino voters, [many local elected officials are now facing Hispanic challengers for the May 4 joint election.]( Since the decision in 2017, the city’s Hispanic population has grown significantly, playing a crucial role in helping former Harris County sheriff Adrian Garcia oust County Commissioner Jack Morman. Now, the question is whether the demographics of the city have changed enough to lead to other political upsets. 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