Matt Schuetze knew right away the brick home for sale in North Temple would be perfect for his wife and 2-year-old son. But there were two problems: red carpet and money for a down payment. Under the Homes for Texas Heroes program, Schuetze´s job as Temple College police officer enabled him to get a grant that he could use for the down payment.

KHOST, Afghanistan - Pfc. Monica Brown cracked open the door of her Humvee outside a remote village in eastern Afghanistan to the pop of bullets shot by Taliban fighters. But instead of taking cover, the 18-year-old medic grabbed her bag and ran through gunfire toward fellow soldiers in a crippled and burning vehicle. Vice President Dick Cheney pinned Brown, of Lake Jackson, with a Silver Star in March for repeatedly risking her life on April 25, 2007, to shield and treat her wounded comrades, displaying bravery and grit. She is the second woman since World War II to receive the nation´s third-highest combat medal. The other one was Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, a military policewoman in Iraq who the Army said had responded to a 2005 insurgent attack on a convoy by firing grenades.

COPPERAS COVE - An open records request by Copperas Cove´s former mayor has raised questions about the use of Copperas Cove Independent School District computers. Roger O´Dwyer initiated an open records request to CCISD on April 22 asking for e-mail messages from council member Charlotte Heinze´s e-mail account for messages dated from Jan. 1, 2007, to April 30, 2008.

SASABE, Mexico - The sandy streets of Sasabe are empty. Migrant smugglers have to hunt for business at border-town shelters. Deported migrants give up after one try, taking their government up on free bus rides home. A U.S. crackdown is causing the longest and most significant drop in illegal migration from Mexico since the Sept. 11 attacks. Officials say the U.S. economic downturn, tighter security and a more perilous and expensive journey are persuading many who try to sneak into the U.S. to give up sooner.

Bryce Monsen walked to the large dry erase board on a wall in his office, grabbed a marker and wrote one word in large letters. Speed.

BELTON - In last year´s first round, Belton was swept out at Pflugerville. The Tigers want to turn the tables on the Panthers this season and advance without leaving their home field.

CALDWELL - Rogers knows what it takes to win a Class 2A baseball state championship. The Eagles accomplished that feat last year, going undefeated in 10 playoff games en route to the school´s first state title.

FAIRFIELD - Ever since a 20-2 drubbing on March 14 at the hands of eventual District 25-2A champion Salado, the Troy Trojans realized that if they wanted to reach the baseball playoffs, they couldn´t afford to take any night off. “We talked about Salado and how they beat us 20-2,” Troy coach Steve Sebesta said. “We knew we had to stay focused and prepare for not only our next game but each game. We´re a team that doesn´t get too high on wins and too low on losses.”

The 2008 softball season has been an unusual one for coach Larry Hennig and the Temple College Lady Leopards. For eight consecutive seasons, the Lady Leopards had a fine mix of experienced sophomores and talented freshmen to amass at least 40 wins and finish either first or second in the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference standings.