Statesman - Local Headlines http://www.statesman.com The latest headlines from Statesman en-us Copyright 2009, Cox Newspapers Inc., Statesman Sat, 7 Feb 2009 03:57:30 EST Newspapers COXnet RSS Generator v1.0 http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/img/statesman_8831.jpg Statesman - Local Headlines http://www.statesman.com 5 Defendant in Molotov cocktail case to remain jailed; no charges in case of girl injured at school, police say http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sat, 7 Feb 2009 00:24:20 EST GOP CONVENTION Former Thrall mayor helped bring public services to small town http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207dvorakobit.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207dvorakobit.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 23:24:59 EST For nearly two decades, James Dvorak led the tiny town of Thrall, where being mayor sometimes meant picking up a shovel to fix a leaky city pipe. Pair of fires on Sixth Street ruled accidental http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207sixthstreet.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207sixthstreet.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 22:59:30 EST Two fires that began within about an hour of each other in the Sixth Street entertainment district early Friday morning were started accidentally, fire officials said Friday. Chairman of UT regents defends bonuses for investment staff http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207utimco.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207utimco.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 22:58:13 EST The chairman of the University of Texas System regents on Friday defended the former board chairman of the system's investment company, who resigned a day earlier after being criticized for authorizing more than $3 million in bonuses to company employees. Dazzling the senses http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207chocolate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207chocolate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 22:51:33 EST Five pounds of chocolate is the basic ingredient in Brook Metzler's edible masterpiece. Metzler molded, piped and smeared the chocolate onto colored sheets to turn it into a decadent feathered and beaded Mardi Gras crown and tiara for today's Chocolate Show at the Texas Culinary Academy. Judge clears name of late convict in rape http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207exonerate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207exonerate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 22:49:21 EST In what lawyers in the case say is a first-of-its-kind posthumous DNA exoneration, a judge in Travis County on Friday announced "to a 100 percent moral, factual and legal certainty" that Timothy Cole did not commit the 1985 Lubbock rape that sent him to prison, where he died in 1999. State District Judge Charlie Baird's announcement brought tears and exclamations of thanks from Cole's family. After court adjourned, Baird came down from the bench and embraced some of them. Texas State announces anonymous gift of up to $6 million http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207texasstate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207texasstate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 22:26:35 EST In an economy where donations are down, Texas State University-San Marcos has received a pledge from a group of anonymous donors to match donations up to $6 million as part of a campaign that seeks to improve five areas of the university. Car burglaries on rise in Austin http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207carthefts.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207carthefts.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 21:23:01 EST Austin police sounded the alarm on car burglaries Friday, saying that the number of break-ins has increased 7.5 percent citywide during the first five weeks of the year compared with the same period for 2008. Former foster child adopted at 36 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207adoption.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/07/0207adoption.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 20:52:17 EST Stuffed animals lined the judge's bench. Boxes of tissues rested on courtroom chairs. "It's a Girl" balloons drifted toward the ceiling. 20-year-old woman killed in car wreck; girl injured at school washing hands with abrasive cleaner http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Fri, 6 Feb 2009 00:41:02 EST BASTROP Outsider getting settled in to new job as sheriff http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206ratliff.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206ratliff.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 23:40:16 EST When Hays County commissioners chose Tommy Ratliff, a retired Texas Ranger from the Kyle area, to replace Sheriff Allen Bridges, who died unexpectedly in December, critics fumed. Higher education notes http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206hinotes.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206hinotes.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 23:33:59 EST TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY-SAN MARCOS Witness points to police slip-ups http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206exonerate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206exonerate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 22:59:18 EST Fresh tears were shed over an old case Thursday as a Travis County judge opened an inquiry into a likely wrongful conviction decades ago on the other side of Texas. Army: Insulin error put 2,100 patients at risk; murder convict gets new trial; inspectors fault ill inmate care at jail; fire at West Texas prison under control http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206texdigest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206texdigest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 21:03:11 EST EL PASO Austin trustees down to three superintendent candidates, sources say http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206supersearch.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206supersearch.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 20:39:32 EST The search for the new Austin superintendent has been winnowed down to a handful of candidates, according to two sources close to the selection process. And one trustee has said that ethnicity has become a major issue. Man charged with theft of high-end bicycles http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206bikes.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206bikes.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 18:28:46 EST American-Statesman Staff City candidates' web sites http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206campaigntech_box.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206campaigntech_box.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 15:33:39 EST City candidates' Web sites. Most have links to Facebook pages, Twitter and Flickr accounts, blogs and videos from their sites. Statue of Liberty figures book should be tossed at Daschle http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0206kelso.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0206kelso.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 15:17:11 EST I asked the Statue of Liberty the other day how she felt about Tom Daschle's income tax problems, and she didn't seem to have much sympathy for him. Statue of Liberty figures book should be tossed at Daschle http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206kelso.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/06/0206kelso.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 14:59:03 EST I asked the Statue of Liberty the other day how she felt about Tom Daschle's income tax problems, and she didn't seem to have much sympathy for him. Man charged in Dessau double homicide; motel manager says minorities welcome http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 00:41:39 EST TRAVIS COUNTY 'Dreamgirls' a showcase of 'what Reagan can do' http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205reagandream.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205reagandream.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Thu, 5 Feb 2009 00:10:56 EST The performers will all get new wireless microphones. A community dinner and student award ceremony is being held just before the premiere. And there was even talk of renting a big spotlight that would shine like a beacon of hope from East Austin for opening night. Stimulus shines spotlight on Austin disc golf course http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205discgolf.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205discgolf.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 23:31:59 EST WSJ mocks Austin's bid for relief aid for disc golf Cap Metro tax revenue, ridership falling http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205capmetro.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205capmetro.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 22:58:40 EST Capital Metro, like the rest of America, had a bad fall. 2nd Austin man in Molotov cocktail case seeks release http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205molotov.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205molotov.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 22:47:37 EST Noting that his co-defendant's trial ended in a hung jury this week, an Austin man charged with making Molotov cocktails during the Republican National Convention asked a judge Wednesday to release him from jail. McCracken solicits ad focusing on Austin; group wants Daughtery off transit board. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205urban.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/05/0205urban.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 20:44:01 EST McCRACKEN SAYS HIS AD CONTEST NOT ABOUT RACE Man killed in motorcycle wreck; four people beaten in Warehouse District attacks http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 15:27:51 EST AUSTIN Austin sees spike in assaults http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204assaults.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204assaults.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 00:56:16 EST A bar patron tried to stab an employee on East Sixth Street after getting tossed out. An argument ended with a woman bashing her boyfriend in the head with a golf club. A friend hit another with a baseball bat after a fight. Family escapes home minutes before gas causes explosion http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204fire.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204fire.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Wed, 4 Feb 2009 00:13:44 EST Vianey Camorlinga said it was only a matter of minutes between the time she got her children out of her Hyde Park home and when the house exploded from a gas leak. Friends' lake cleanup ends with frustration http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204watch.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204watch.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 23:26:45 EST Misty Chamberlain, 24, said she wanted to do something for her hometown of Marble Falls, in part to prove to some of her elders that people her age were willing to volunteer. Pflugerville plans for new high school; McCallum musical group holds benefit concert with Beatles tribute band http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204schools.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204schools.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 22:52:06 EST PFLUGERVILLE UT device could take the pain out of skin cancer detection http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204skincancer.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204skincancer.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 22:46:19 EST A pen-size device that might one day be used to detect skin cancer without a biopsy is being developed at the University of Texas with the aid of grants and a company hoping to bring the device to market. Jury awards whistle-blower $900,000 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204lawsuit.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204lawsuit.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 22:44:08 EST A Travis County jury has awarded a woman $900,000 after finding that she was fired from her job at a state civil rights agency for complaining about discrimination against minorities at the agency. Oilman donates $18 million to UT http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204utgift.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/04/0204utgift.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 21:02:44 EST W.A. "Tex" Moncrief Jr., a Fort Worth oilman and philanthropist, has donated $18 million to the University of Texas to underwrite research that cuts across scientific and engineering disciplines. Police say man tried to abduct, rape jogger in noon attack http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Tue, 3 Feb 2009 00:00:46 EST AUSTIN House explodes in Hyde Park http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203housefire.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203housefire.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 23:59:13 EST A house in Hyde Park exploded Monday night after Austin firefighters responded to a complaint about the smell of natural gas there. Austin man posts bail after mistrial in GOP bomb plot case http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203mckay.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203mckay.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 23:55:11 EST David Guy McKay walked out of the federal courthouse, felt the sting of a 4-degree temperature and a wicked northwest wind and declared how great it felt. Hays superintendent finalist ready to go http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203hayssupt.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203hayssupt.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 23:32:09 EST School Superintendent Jeremy Lyon is itching to move out of his current digs in Oregon and into the Hays school district boss's office in Kyle. Seeking justice for convict who died in prison http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203exonerate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203exonerate.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 23:07:44 EST In 1985, Michele Mallin was abducted from a church parking lot near Texas Tech University in Lubbock, driven outside of town and raped. New Hays clinic chips away at need http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203hayshealth.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203hayshealth.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 22:59:41 EST A new clinic that opened Monday, CommuniCare Health Centers-San Marcos, offers doctor visits at sliding-scale costs and is a first step to addressing what leaders say is a severe health care shortage in Hays County for low-income residents. Austinite sought in child porn case turns self in http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203arrest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203arrest.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 22:52:35 EST Lawsuit: Black family turned away from West Texas hotel http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203discrimination.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203discrimination.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 22:47:55 EST A West Texas hotel refused to give rooms to a Williamson County family because they were African American, according to a federal lawsuit filed Monday. How to keep your cash from being Madoff with http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203kelso.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/03/0203kelso.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Mon, 2 Feb 2009 21:28:48 EST There's a good reason to be extra careful these days when you're picking an investment counselor. You couldn't trust some of these dudes with your spare change. Take Bernie Madoff, for example, one of those people whose name mirrors his occupation. Stick replacing carrot for serial toll offenders http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202wear.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202wear.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 23:10:22 EST Kevin Warnke didn't return my calls, so I really can't give you his thinking about paying tolls. Or rather, not paying them. APD sergeant to be JP nominee; motorcyclist hurt in wreck dies http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 22:58:37 EST HAYS COUNTY Austin celebrates Year of the Ox http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202newyear.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202newyear.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 22:32:35 EST Booming drums, clanging gongs and the clatter of fireworks turned a North Austin shopping center into a miniature Chinatown on Sunday, marking the Chinese New Year and reminding Austin's Asian population of its roots. Area nonprofits see mixed results on holiday fundraising http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202fundraising.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202fundraising.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 22:20:16 EST For months, Austin nonprofits have agonized over how their holiday fundraising efforts would fare in the face of a withering economy. Four Austin teens earn Eagle Scout rank http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202achievements.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202achievements.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 21:21:54 EST FOUR AUSTIN TEENS EARN RANK OF EAGLE SCOUT New Cedar Park transit plan in need of funding http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202cedarparkbus.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/02/0202cedarparkbus.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 21:09:20 EST About a decade ago, Cedar Park residents decided to try to spur development with a portion of the city's sales tax that was going to public transportation, so they voted to sever ties with Capital Metro. Former Menchaca Elementary students, faculty sought; Police arrest man charged with exposure http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/01/0201roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/01/0201roundup.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 00:23:16 EST AUSTIN The heart of Clarksville spreads its love http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/01/0201clarksville.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/01/0201clarksville.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=52 Sun, 1 Feb 2009 00:03:14 EST When the Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church was founded by freed slaves 137 years ago, Clarksville — the first freedom town west of the Mississippi River — was a neighborhood populated with black families living in small, single-story homes.