BexarMet boss’ buyout request comes up dry
 
Facing five indictments for allegedly wiretapping and sexually harassing employees, Bexar Metropolitan Water District General Manager Gil Olivares asked the utility’s board to consider a buyout that could have amounted to more than $250,000. Olivares had proclaimed his innocence, but the BexarMet board eventually voted to terminate his contract.

The 210 take: Asking for a quarter-million dollar buyout because he’s facing criminal charges? Whether or not Olivares is lacking in ethics, he’s certainly not lacking in cojones.
 

School’s master debater pulls down his pants
 
A Kansas university has fired its debate coach for losing his temper at a tournament, engaging in a videotaped shouting match that included pulling down his shorts to expose his underwear. The argument between Fort Hays State debate coach William Shanahan and another coach following a tournament match in March received nationwide attention after it was recently posted on YouTube.

The 210 take: Little known fact: The original Lincoln-Douglas debates concluded with a mooning and an inappropriate hand gesture.
With staff and wire reports
 

On Obama VP, media is faster than text speed 
 
Despite Sen. Barack Obama’s pledge to supporters that they would be the “first to know” his running mate, the Democratic presidential candidate got scooped by the media on his own announcement. Obama’s plan to use text messaging to announce his choice for vice president was a first in politics. But by the time the message announcing Sen. Joe Biden as the choice began filtering across the U.S., media had been reporting the pick for several hours.

The 210 take: Obama campaign intern Chad “Thumbs” McGee said he was doing the best he could.
 

A sign that you are obsessing about errors
 
Two self-styled vigilantes against bad grammar who defaced a more than 60-year-old, hand-painted sign at Grand Canyon National Park were sentenced to probation and banned from national parks for a year. Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson toured the United States this spring, wiping out errors on signs. Deck used a marker to cover an erroneous apostrophe, put the apostrophe in its proper place with Wite-Out and added a comma to the sign.

The 210 take: But if all the editors are in jail, who will fix my tipos?
 

Some area schools will be no-chat zones
 
The City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving through 18 school zones around San Antonio. The pilot program makes it illegal to talk on the phone — unless the driver has a hands-free device — or send or read text messages while driving through the school zone during the school day. Violators face fines up to $200, and the pilot program may eventually be expanded to all school zones.

The 210 take: Cell phone-free zones near schools? That sound you hear is 1,000 15-year-old girls screaming “Nooooo!”

John Henrichs | 210SA Contributor