Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher dies
National News
A law firm spokeswoman says former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who worked for peace in Bosnia and the Mideast in the Clinton administration, has died in Los Angeles.
Spokeswoman Sonja Steptoe from law firm O'Melveny & Myers where Christopher was a senior partner says he died at his home Friday night of complications from bladder and kidney cancer. He was 85.
As he prepared to step down in as secretary of state in 1996, he said his proudest accomplishments included helping promote a ban on nuclear weapons tests.
He also tried to foster peace in the Middle East, without much success. He was more successful in the negotiations that produced a settlement in 1995 for Bosnia.
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Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.