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Top Morning Stories February 10, 2011

KUT's Founder Bob Schenkkan Has Passed Away

Schenkkan died yesterday afternoon.  His hard work and fierce determination played a key role in public broadcasting as we know it today.  In the mid 1950s Schenkkan was a professor of Radio Television and Film at UT Austin’s School of Communications.  He was also a driving force in the creation of public TV station KLRU.  Schenkkan's efforts also led to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.  No funeral arrangements have been announced yet.

Click play below to hear a remembrance piece produced by KUT's Ben Philpott.

http://media.kut.org/sounds/news_00024042/Philpott_Schenkkan_Story_mp3.mp3

ERCOT Says It's Prepared for Today's Cold Snap

It's another frigid morning in Central Texas and energy officials are still urging people to conserve energy.  The state's electric grid operator was expecting record demand this morning. This comes a little more than a week after cold weather led to rolling power outages across Texas. 

Despite the problems with the rolling outages last week, grid operators said this week is different. The Electric Reliability Council of Texassaid it is not terribly concerned about another statewide power shortage because there's more reserve power available this morning. Although ERCOT says that the Rio Grande Valley is at an increased risk of rolling power outages this morning because of "transmission limitations" to that specific area.

Delay Asking for A New Trial

Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's attorneys have filed a motion asking for a new trial.  They claim juror misconduct and also cite misapplication of the state's election code and faulty juror instructions.  Prosecutors say there are no legal grounds for a new trial.  DeLay was sentenced last month to three years in prison.  He was convicted on money laundering charges.  He is free on bond pending his appeal.