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Corpus Christi Caller-Times – by Mary Ann Cavazos
Guy Watts allowed to go to D.C.

Del Mar College Regent Guy Watts made a third court appearance on Wednesday morning for a brief hearing related to his wife’s sexual assault accusation against him.

KLBJ- Austin
Williamson Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Sexual Assault of a Child

Tyler Morning Telegraph
Cross Gets 40 Years For Molesting Two Girls

Tyler Morning Telegraph – by Casey Knaupp
Howard Pleads Guilty To Rape, Kidnapping Of Co-Worker

El Paso Times
Cruces couple arrested in sexual abuse of girl

Lewisville Leader – by Dan Eakin
Sex offender residency restrictions approved

Texas A&M Battalion – by Amanda Grosgebauer
Largest cast to perform ‘Vagina Monologues’

Sexual Victimization in Prisons: Moving Toward Elimination
Cost: Free
February 7, 2–4 p.m. EST
Registration required.

One of every 22 men and women sentenced to imprisonment in the United States reported that they were assaulted sexually while incarcerated. Sexual victimization in prisons is the issue, elimination is the goal. Join a group of experts to discuss the state of Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) research— what data is available and what’s yet to come. The experts will examine ways to move from better understanding to reliable prevention and eventual elimination.

Holding Perpetrators Accountable: Civil Justice for Crime Victims in Texas Courts
Cost: Free
Wednesday, February 13, 2 – 4 p.m.
Montgomery County Central Library, 104 I-45 North, Conroe, TX 77301
Presented by Kevin R. Madison, JD, EMT
Sponsored by Texans for Equal Justice & Texas Crime Victim Clearinghouse
Register now.

Training Objectives:
• Discover legal remedies available to victims of family violence, sexual assault, DWI and other crimes;
• Identify helpful strategies for an advocate to promote justice on behalf of crime victims;
• Examine the healing impact for victims whom file civil claims against perpetrators;
• Explore using civil claims against perpetrators as a strategy to reduce future violence and crime; and
• Understand the civil and criminal justice system and its impact on victims.

Capital Campaigns
Join Linda Lysakowski, president and CEO of Capital Ventures, for two webinars focusing on capital campaigns.

Part I:
This webinar will look at a non-profit’s internal and external readiness to conduct a campaign, including board involvement, staffing, technology and the case for support.
Cost: $15
February 22, 1-2 p.m. EST
Register now.

Part II:
This webinar will examine key elements of the campaign plan, including timeline, budget and campaign cabinet.
Cost: $15
March 26, 1-2 p.m. EST
Register now.

Meth Space: The New Danger to Children
Cost: Free
Thursday, February 21, 1-2 p.m. EST
A pre-recorded satellite broadcast/webcast. This broadcast will cover the dangers and health effects of meth and meth labs, especially for children.
More information available here.
Register now.

Ream: Death and dishonor
by Anne K. Ream, The Voices and Faces Project

Consider this, if you can bear to. Jenny Bush, a young Arizona woman just graduated from college, walks into her home at the end of a workday and encounters an armed serial rapist, James Allen Selby. Selby, who had entered through a first-floor window, uses duct tape to gag and bind her, and then rapes her at knifepoint before fleeing.

After freeing herself, Bush has the courage to report the crime to police — and the conviction to pursue legal justice. Following a nationwide manhunt, Selby is apprehended and accused of attacking Bush (who, with three other victims, took the stand at his trial) and at least 10 others, including a 9-year-old girl. In October 2004, Selby is convicted on 27 counts, including armed robbery, rape, kidnapping and attempted murder (for slitting the throat of one of his victims). But hours before facing sentencing, he hangs himself in a Tucson, Ariz., jail.

For Selby’s victims and their families, it may have been tempting to believe a certain accountability remained operative: His suicide put a fine point on how little he had left to live for in the wake of his conviction. But his death also granted this serial rapist a moral reprieve that the civilian legal system couldn’t. Selby was a Persian Gulf War veteran and so, in accordance with Pentagon policy, was buried with full military honors at Fort Sill National Cemetery in Oklahoma.

The military policy of allowing honors burials for veterans convicted of rape sends a chilling message to victims: Even the most heinous sexual violence does not trump military service. It is a position that is as ethically indefensible as it is inconsistent. In 1997, after Army veteran Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death for his role in the Oklahoma City bombings, Congress barred veterans convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death or life in prison from being buried with full military honors. But veterans convicted of rape or any other violent crime encounter no such restrictions.
Read more

Tyler Morning Telegraph
Alleged Rape Case Goes To Cherokee D.A.’s Office

KXII- Texoma
Police looking for attempted rape suspect in Denison

Washington Post – by John Rice
Mexico Issues Warrant for Missing Marine

WATCH is a Minnesota court watch program that won a Mary Byron Foundation “Celebrating Solutions” award in 2007. They offer resources and technical assistance to help organizations establish court watch programs, including a “how to” manual. A court watch program can be a valuable tool for victim advocates, so if you’re interested in starting one, the WATCH website is a great place to start.

Violent crime down slightly according to FBI
The FBI just released preliminary figures indicating that, as a whole, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation reported a decrease of 1.8 percent in the number of violent crimes brought to their attention in the first half of 2007 when compared with figures reported for the first six months of 2006. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Download the Preliminary Uniform Crime Reports here.

Child well-being measures for Texas and the U.S.
The latest data from the annual Kids Count project have just been released. The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count online database now features child well-being measures for the 50 largest U.S. cities. This tool contains more than 100 indicators, including the most recent data available on education, employment and income, poverty, health and youth risk factors for the United States as a whole, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can find Texas-specific information here.

Longview News-Journal – by Angela Ward
Women’s Center reaches out to prevent violence

While it’s important to educate people about ways they can avoid becoming victims, such as reminding women to watch their drinks when out socializing, it’s equally important to help people learn strategies to avoid becoming batterers, Ibarra said.

Texarkana Gazette – by Terri Richardson
Man, 28, faces sexual assault charges

WOAI- NBC San Antonio
School Principal Accused of Sexual Assault of a Child

Corpus Christi Caller-Times – by Mary Ann Cavazos
Man gets 15-year term for sex assault on girl

Red Orbit- Dallas
Sent to Jail, Then Back to Medicine

Washington Post – by Robert Tanner
Lawmakers Crack Down on Abusive Teachers

The following stories all talk about the 14-year-old girl who recanted her story about being kidnapped and raped recently in Austin: Officers: Teen lied about sexual assault, North Austin Rape Case Isn’t True , Girl lied about assault, Austin police say.

What do you think of the news coverage of this story? What effect on rape reporting rates might media coverage of events like this have? The news media exists to inform its audiences of current events, but what responsibility, if any, do they have in situations like this to confront rape myths?

In this case, the myth is that women frequently “cry rape” and false rape report rates are high.

KGBT- Harlingen – by Ryan Wolf
EXCLUSIVE: Woman Defends Herself in San Benito Teen Rape Case

“Scared” out of her mind.

That’s how Rebecca Rodriguez describes her emotions the night she witnessed last Friday’s alleged rape.

“I was trying to help her out.. I’m innocent sir… I’m innocent,” proclaimed Rodriguez.

Washington Post – by the Associated Press
UNICEF: Kenya Child Rapes on Rise

Washington Post – by Marie Therese-Connolly
A Hidden Crime

We are perhaps in greatest denial about elder sexual abuse. When the perpetrator is a son or grandson, these cases are met with disbelief, given the taboo-busting, worse-than-Oedipal nature of the offense.

Dallas Morning News
Mansfield mayor quits after recall effort, failed proposal

The Daily Toreador – by Maggie Kiely
Tech employee reinstated after cleared of sexual assault charge

KCEN- NBC Waco
Lampasas priest sentenced to prison time for sexual assault

CBS 4- El Paso – by the Associated Press
Carlsbad vet gets 25 years in prison for rape of child

KLBJ- Austin
Former Minister Sentenced in Sexual Assault of a Child

Lewisville Leader – by Dan Eakin
Council to eye sex offender restrictions

KFox- El Paso – by Angeeneh Adamain
U.S. Tools And Services May Head South Of Border

A new multimillion-dollar initiative recently put forth by President George W. Bush aimed at putting a stop to drug and human trafficking along the border may end up sending U.S. equipment to Mexico. Friday the assistant secretary of state was in El Paso to explain the program’s benefits. “The level of violence could increase. These people make a lot of money through illegal activity, and they are not going to go down without a fight,” said Assistant Secretary of State David Johnson.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times – by Mary Ann Cavazos
Woman says kin raped her at age 14

Thefacts.com – by Nathaniel Lukefahr
Police investigate sexual assault allegations

Jacksonville Daily Progress – by Raymond Billy
JHS principal says safety is paramount

KGBT- Harlingen
San Benito Girl Claims She Was Drugged, Raped by Several Teens

KRGV- Weslaco
Last Suspect Caught in Rape Case

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