Bullet Train

High-speed train between Houston and Dallas signs up more landowners

The high-speed train keeps inching along.

Photo courtesy of JR Central

Texas Central, developers of the high-speed train between Dallas and Houston, has now signed deals for about 30 percent of the parcels of land it needs to get this thing rolling.

Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar calls it a significant milestone, the result of ongoing negotiations with property owners along the potential route.

The high-speed train will connect North Texas, the Brazos Valley, and Houston in a 90-minute trip.

Option agreements have been made in all 10 counties between the two stops, including 50 percent of the parcels for the proposed route in Waller and Grimes counties. Grimes County will be the site of a Brazos Valley passenger station, a midway stop on the 240-mile line between the state’s top metro areas.

Texas Central's option program compensates owners today in exchange for the right to acquire a parcel at a future date at an agreed price. The option offers are being made in select areas of alignments that are under review as part of the project’s environmental assessment.

"This is a significant step in the progress of the high-speed train and it reflects the positive dialogue we have had with landowners along the route," Aguilar says in a release.

Chris Lippincott, a representative from Texas Rail Advocates, says that the agreements are a victory for transparency.

"The announcement of land agreements in Waller and Grimes counties are particularly laudable considering the intensity of the campaign of misinformation aimed at the residents of those communities," he says in a statement. "Texas Rail Advocates will continue to support open, honest dialogue as our state moves toward a future that includes the option of high-speed train service for business and vacation travelers."

Texas Central has hosted 28 information meetings throughout the 10 counties. More than 3,000 families and businesses signed letters giving surveyors access as part of the environmental assessment.

Some landowners fought against providing access to surveying. Texas Central has withdrawn the remaining 17 cases to allow it to work with all landowners on an amicable approach for permission to survey.

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Animal News

Wills Point, Texas man charged with cruelty for abandoning 18 animals

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Lucas Wayne Penrod, charged with animal cruelty

Another animal cruelty case has emerged from Van Zandt County, resulting in the arrest of a Wills Point man: Lucas Wayne Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

It began on Friday, October 24, when the Wills Point Police Department performed a welfare check at a mobile home within the city limits. Officers became concerned when they heard multiple dogs barking along with a foul odor of animal waste.

On October 25, after obtaining a search warrant, Wills Point PD and the SPCA of Texas ACI Unit entered the residence and found multiple animals living in deplorable conditions.

The mobile home was filled with trash and animal feces. The team discovered a total of 8 cats, 2 guinea pigs, 4 adult dogs, and 4 puppies, cruelly confined to the unsanitary living conditions on the property.

Two dogs were confined to filthy crates with no access to water.
Three puppies were in a small bathroom covered in urine and feces; one of the puppies was deceased and decomposing.
The guinea pigs were found in a cage without access to food or water.

Most of the animals showed signs of long-term neglect and were in dire need of urgent medical intervention. The animals were seized by the SPCA of Texas and transported to the organization's Dallas location for veterinary care.

Dog in cage Wills Point Lucas Wayne Penrod Dog abandoned in Wills Point by Lucas Wayne Penrod.SPCA

On October 26, Lucas Wayne Penrod, the owner of the animals, contacted an SPCA of Texas Investigator regarding the animals. The Investigator determined that Penrod had unlawfully allegedly abandoned the animals, failing to provide them with proper care, resulting in the death of one of the puppies and the critical state of the surviving animals.

On October 28, the SPCA of Texas Animal Cruelty Investigations (ACI) Unit obtained an arrest warrant for Penrod, who was apprehended by Tyler Police Department and booked into the Smith County Jail with a $50K bond. Penrod was charged with Cruelty to Nonlivestock Animals, a 3rd degree felony.

On November 1, at a civil custody hearing at the Van Zandt County Justice of the Peace Precinct 3 courthouse in Wills Point, Penrod relinquished custody of the 18 allegedly abandoned, cruelly treated animals to the SPCA.

"The squalid conditions these beautiful animals were living in were abhorrent--locked in spaces without food or water, in their own excrement," said SPCA of Texas ACI Unit Chief Investigator Courtney Burns, CAWA. "This is some of the worst mistreatment of domestic animals I've seen in my extensive career in animal cruelty investigations. In no small part, these pets owe their lives to the Wills Point Police Department. If it wasn’t for their quick thinking to involve us right away, I don't think the animals would have made it."

"This case perfectly illustrates the team effort that investigating and prosecuting animal cruelty cases in Texas is," Burns added. "We are extremely thankful to the Tyler Police Department for their efficient assistance in apprehending Penrod so that he can be brought to justice in the timeliest manner possible. And we are especially grateful to the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office and court system with whom we continue to partner to get justice for abused animals in their jurisdiction."