Reliably Austin
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Lead: Abortion Protest at Texas Capitol, Single-Sex Schools Before AISD Board Tonight

Good morning! With highs in the upper-70s, Austin’s in for a cloudy, breezy and muggy day, according to the National Weather Service.

Lead story: An anti-abortion protest converged on the State Capitol Saturday afternoon. Among the speakers at the “Texas Rally for Life:” Attorney General Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Gov. Rick Perry, who said he was working to “make abortion in any stage a thing of the past.”

“By working together,” Perry told the crowd, “we'll be able to cement that Texas is the most pro-family, pro-life and pro-values state in the nation.”

As the 83rd Texas Legislature gets underway, abortion has emerged as a priority for top Republican lawmakers: Gov. Perry has signaled his support for a so-called “fetal pain” bill that would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks. The governor will certainly refer to abortion in his “State of the State” address to the legislature tomorrow at 11 a.m.

AISD Set to Make 'Final' Decision on Single-Sex Schools: The Austin Independent School District Board is set to make a final recommendation this evening about three proposed single-sex schools.

The board is considering turning Garcia and Pearce Middle Schools into single-sex middle schools.

It’s also considering adding a School for Young Men, similar to the Ann Richards School for Young Women. If the schools are approved, they’ll be operating by the 2014-2015 school year.

The board is meeting tonight at 7 p.m., at AISD headquarters.

Texas Set to Execute Female Prisoner: The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles has unanimously refused a clemency request from a Dallas County woman set to die next week. Kimberly McCarthy killed and robbed a retired 71-year-old college professor.        

McCarthy is set to become the fourth woman executed in Texas in modern times. Her execution is scheduled for Tuseday, Jan. 29.

Related Content